


The Reaping of Hatsune Miku

by Aura X-Y (Aurya)



Series: Underground Vocaloids [1]
Category: The World Ends With You, Vocaloid
Genre: Gen, TWEWY elements inspired by Solo Remix, Too many important characters '-.-, Written with complete disregard for common Vocaloid fanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2018-12-26 09:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 50
Words: 93,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12055866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aura%20X-Y
Summary: The city of Diola is positively massive; but one region of that city, the District for Imaginative and Vocal Attitudes, is quite peaceful. Thus, those who meet their ends in what is locally known as the DIVA District are often surprised to find it is home to what is known as an Underground - an alternate plane of being in which is hosted the Reaper's Game.





	1. The 1st Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Good goddess, this is not gonna be pretty.
> 
> First off, let me get it out of the way. My "Aura X-Y" handle refers to my works written with assistance of my boyfriend Draconai Auracto, whose deviantART username is AuraXtreme. Yes, the pun is horrible, we had a chat about that back when we tried to write a Hyrule Warriors novelization. In this case, he is not my co-writer, per se, so much as he's just assisting me with the details. The World Ends With You is HUGE. No frickin' wonder there hasn't been a sequel.
> 
> Anyways, I've been wanting to write a Reaper's Game for... quite a good while, now. The problem is, I haven't found any fitting series. Then, me and Draco start getting a little more into Vocaloid than "Who sings that song? Oh, it's Miku and her friends", and I realize that the Vocaloids sit perfectly into TWEWY's musical theme. As the name of this fanfic may have clued you into, I took particular notice of a Disappearance and saw a certain plot just waiting to happen.
> 
> Mapping was a pain in the ass. Draco's got a whole theory about the difficulties of making an original map. We seriously just riffed off Lumiose City (yes, from Kalos) and changed the connections because it didn't have half as much room as Shibuya. Draco's got the map on his dA page, here: https://auraxtreme.deviantart.com/art/DIVA-District-Map-for-Aurya-703975945

DIVA District - or so it was popularly known; a peaceful, if somewhat busy, area on the northwestern edge of the city of Diola. Although there had been certain unpleasantries in the past years, and more than one tragic occurrence lately, the District for Imaginative and Vocal Attitudes yet remained a place where warm-hearted, enjoyable people tended to gather. Nobody who had lived in DIVA District for more than a year could imagine somebody in pain, or of clearly ill health, being left where they lay.

Which might raise the question - to those who were aware - of why nobody paid any mind to the rose-haired girl lying on the pavement in Cybernation Plaza.

* * *

_Megurine Luka opened her eyes._

_She stood atop a towering building, looking down on a city she knew so well. This was the city she had lived in for so long; DIVA District was sprawled below her like a map she did not need._

_"What am I... doing here?"_

_Footsteps behind her drew Luka's_ _attention; she turned to find someone standing behind her. A girl stood there, with a bolder than her own; long hair seemed blonde at first, but on closer inspection seemed to dance through many colours. She was garbed in a short skirt and tank top patterned like a starry sky, over which she wore a jacket; a pair of slightly heeled boots had deceptive weight with every step she took; and... a pair of black, spiked wings emerged from her back, wavering in a manner that was not simply caused by her movements._

_"Megurine."_

_Her voice gave Luka pause. "How do you know my name? Where am I? I... I should be-"_

_"Dead." The winged girl's interruption caught Luka off-guard. "Yes."_

_Luka turned back to the city. "Then... is this the afterworld?" she asked._

_The winged girl stepped up beside her. "Yes... and no. You are no longer alive... but that does not mean that you are dead." She turned to Luka. "You died in DIVA - and now, you fight to live again."_

_"What?" Luka turned to her. "What do you mean, live again?"_

_In response, the rainbow-haired girl held out her hand. Sitting in it was a small disc - a black pin bearing a stylized white skull. "You are a Player in the Reaper's Game," the girl told Luka. "Here, you and the other Players must survive, for seven days. Complete the task assigned you one day, and you will be left at rest until the next. Succeed, and you are given a chance to return. Fail, and you are erased."_

_Uncertain, fearful it might harm her, Luka reached out and grasped the pin, holding it in her grip. "What is this?"_

_"This is a Player Pin," was the response she received. "Every Player receives one at the start of the Game. You must find another Player - you will recognize each other by your pins. Then you must forge a pact - otherwise, the Noise will hunt you down."_

_"Noise?"_

_"Creatures that exist to stand in the Players' way," the winged girl elaborated. "Once you have forged a pact, you will be able to fight - and the Noise will no longer seek you out, of their own accord. You need only find another Player, and offer the pact; once they accept, the pact is forged, and you need only strike your foes down once before they will know better than to harm you."_

_Luka glanced at the pin in her hand. "How could I fight?" she asked. "I've never-"_

_The winged girl raised a hand to quiet her. "To Players of the Reaper's Game," she explained, "pins such as this one have certain properties, or psychs. Every Player begins the Game with at least two; their Player Pin, and a pin with a psych that will allow them to fight. Only the Player Pin can be used alone, but draw upon the other's power once a pact is forged, and its purpose will come to you."_

_She set a hand on Luka's shoulder. "One more thing. You did not know of the Reaper's Game before you were inducted - and nor will anyone else. The civilians of DIVA will not see you, hear you, or feel you. See that you do not squander your time."_

_The world started to fade away around Luka, and the winged girl pulled her hand away. "Best of luck, Megurine."_

* * *

Luka opened her eyes.

She was lying on the pavement, and her body was consequently rather stiff. As she started to rise, she looked around; she was in Cybernation Plaza, home to DIVA District's nightlife. In broad daylight, it wasn't at its busiest, but people were going about their daily business, some in groups, some on their own, but none so much as taking notice of the girl lying on the ground.

There was something between Luka's left palm and the pavement below; she lifted her hand and found the black pin sitting there, its white skull gazing up at her.

And the moment she moved her hand away, the plaza became all the quieter.

Luka turned back to the crowd - but no. It wasn't that she had drawn attention to herself, and everyone's conversations had gone silent; the people were coming and going all the same. After a moment's thought, she reached down and picked up the Pin again - and the sound returned.

"Voices?" But the voices she heard were so clear that the speakers had to have been standing just before her. And as she strained to listen, she heard snippets... things that no one in their right mind would say aloud. "No...  _thoughts?_ " She turned to a lone soul standing at the entrance to a nearby clothing store; and as she focused on him, her grip tightened involuntarily on the Pin - and the other sounds faded.

 _Damn, look at the sale on that thing! They're practically giving it away. If I could wear one of those for ten seconds, she'd be mine._ His head angled from side to side.  _I could... but I shouldn't, really. Should I? You know what, yes. I will._

And he started into the building as Luka's focus faltered.

"Thoughts," Luka confirmed. "Definitely thoughts." She glanced down at the Pin again. "Is that what this one does? But what about-"

A buzz from her pocket; she reached in and found her phone, alight with a new message.

 _Mission: Reach 39._  
_You have 60 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers_

"Reapers..."

A stinging pain from her left hand; the Pin fell from her grip as she cried out, stumbling back. She glanced at her hand, expecting to have pierced herself with the Pin's needle - but no. To Luka's horror, there was something else on her hand, a violent crimson not at all like blood.

Numbers.

**59:57**

And as she watched, it counted down.

 **59:56**  
**59:55**

 _It's a timer,_ Luka realized; glancing at her phone again to reread the message.  _60 minutes... It's counting down for this mission._ The 39 Building was in the exact center of the district, a towering building that served as the 'heart of DIVA', and shared its name with the area around it in the center of five streets. Luka quickly knelt down and picked up the Pin she had dropped, setting it and her phone into her pockets.  _So I just need to get to-_

Her train of thought was derailed when a loud noise emerged behind her; a burst, as though someone had popped a large balloon. Luka turned to find several strange bubbles floating about, between her and what looked like  _frogs_ in pale green. But Luka saw at once that they were no ordinary frogs - they were nearly as large as her own torso, and where their legs should have been were waved lines of bright blue, like a stylized tattoo. One of the bubbles approached Luka, and as it made contact it burst again - Luka felt a stabbing pain as she was thrown back, tumbling along the ground.

When her momentum died out, Luka got quickly to her feet to find the frogs hopping towards her. "So these are... Noise!" She shook her head. "I need a pact... I need a partner!"

* * *

DIVA District was arranged like a massive star; five squares at five points, and the streets connected each to the two opposite. The street north to south-southeast was known as Parallel Circuit; and it was down this street that Luka fled, with the monstrous frogs hot on her heels. The people around her didn't even react - not to her, not to the Noise pursuing her - as she ran at a full tilt, trying to escape long enough to find an ally.

She was almost at the other end of the street when she collided with someone.

That, in and of itself, was abnormal; those she had passed, with whom she would normally have collided shoulders or bumped aside, she had not even felt, and she wondered if in fact they were substantial at all. This collision, however, was full-bodied - Luka and the other slammed into one another, and they both felt the impact, twisting from the strike and leaving both of them tumbling to the ground. Luka quickly got to her feet, turning back the way she'd come in fear that the Noise would be bearing down on her any moment; she was surprised to find her collision partner doing the same. It was a girl her age, with teal hair done in long twintails.

"Are you a Player?" Luka asked.

The girl seemed no less surprised than she was, and nodded furtively.

Luka held out her hand. "Please, make a pact with me!"

In response, the girl accepted the hand, nodding in confirmation.

A blue light emerged between them - not from their joined hands, but rising up from the earth and surging skyward. Luka and her pactmate closed their eyes against the glow; when it faded, Luka suddenly felt... stronger.

The girl released Luka's hand, and she opened her eyes to find her partner scrambling over her pockets - the Noise that had been chasing the two of them, as they fled from opposite ends of the street, were starting to approach. "Right, pins!" Her hands dug into her pockets; one had her phone, the other held two pins. This time she  _did_ prick her hand as she drew them out; one was her Player Pin, which she quickly returned to her pocket, whilst the other held what looked like a white raindrop against splotches of various colours. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

One of the frogs leapt towards her, and without thinking, Luka thrust the hand holding her pin forward.

The Noise froze mid-motion - its body went limp in the air, its stream-like hind legs hanging long. As Luka watched, she saw a white sort of  _pulse_ appear and fade out where the frog's head joined to its body; after three pulses, its body started to fade out, and Luka found herself glancing at the pin in her grip.

She had no time to be relieved; another frog was leaping at her. She made to seize it as she had the first one when a  _flame_  ignited on the pavement, and as the Noise landed it was consumed in fire, slowly fading out as had the first. Luka turned to find her partner had her hand extended similarly to her own; another frog was leaping at her from the side, and she aimed her hand around; the flame arced around Luka and burned that frog away as well before fading out.

"That was... yours..." Luka panted.

The girl nodded, lowering her hand once she was sure there were no more Noise about.

Luka sighed, relaxing for herself. "I think we'll be safe, for now," she told her partner. "We'd better get to 39." She glanced at her pin again; on the back of it was lettering, reading  _Eternal White_. After a moment's contemplation, she stuck the pin on her shirt, reasoning that if it didn't work without her holding it she'd just not make the same mistake twice.

"Oh, damn," she muttered, glancing at her timer and realizing it now read **29** **:08**. "Let's hurry."

Her partner had yet to say a word, but the expression on her face was one of similar worry, and she nodded in agreement. She seemed to know DIVA District pretty well herself, as she turned the way Luka had come, waiting just enough to make sure Luka was following before dashing at her side.

* * *

They reached 39 in short order; it was pretty much a rule that 'if you can see someone standing on the roof of the nearest building, you can see 39'. As they stepped into the plaza, which was as crowded as ever, Luka glanced at her hand and found the timer gone. "Yes!" she sighed. "We made it!" She turned to her partner to find her smile returned cheerfully.

"Well, I should damn well hope so. Only a mindless fool would eff up Day 1."

The high, bitter voice drew Luka's attention; she and her partner turned to find someone standing there. He was astonishingly young, and short enough that he barely would barely come up to Luka's waist - but a pair of great, skeletal black wings emerged from his back, dragging on the ground as he walked. Luka took a defensive stance, and her partner did the same as he approached.

"Look at you two, acting all tough." There was an unpleasant foulness in his words, unbefitting of the child who spoke it. "You have no idea what you're getting into, do you?"

Luka grit her teeth. "Who are you?"

The boy came to a stop, smirking. "I should think these" - and here his wings flexed, lifting off the ground and rising high at his sides - "would make that obvious. I'm a Reaper. And lucky me, that I should run into Players to reap."

He snapped his fingers; and a menacing sigil appeared on the ground, from which emerged a large, menacing creature; a grey wolf, its forelegs and tail replaced by stylized blue lines - much like the frogs before had had their hind legs replaced. Luka took a ready stance, hoping her pin would work without being in her hand. "You lot control the Noise?" she demanded.

"If we want to," the boy mused.

"Dammit..."

The wolf leapt forward, and Luka quickly thrust her hand out - and to her relief, her pin's psych did indeed seize the wolf by the throat, choking it. Her partner quickly ignited her flame on the ground below the beast, and Luka was surprised to see it  _flash_ when the flames made contact, and then twice again when the pulse emerged and the burn continued. The wolf faded out, and Luka lowered her hand to find the Reaper had his eyes on her partner.

"What's with your friend, pinky?" he asked. "Too scared to talk?"

Luka turned to her partner, expecting a protest; but the twin-tailed girl only shook her head, pointing at her mouth; her lips moved, but no sound emerged.

The boy's smile faded. "Oh," he mused. "You  _can't_ talk, can you." Then, with a chuckle, the grin was back, wider than before. "I'd say that wasn't your fault, but I think that's not _quite_ true."

"What are you talking about?" Luka demanded.

"What indeed," the Reaper chuckled. "Toodles!"

He leapt away, and vanished into the crowd.

Luka wanted to chase after him, but she had a strong feeling it would prove pointless at best. With a sigh, she turned to her partner. "You... can't speak?" The girl shook her head, and Luka asked, "When did that happen?"

The girl tapped her left hand, where her timer had been, with her index finger.

"When the Game started?" Luka shook her head. "Why would that happen?" Her partner shrugged, just as clueless. "Well, could you... show me your name?" she stumbled, uncertain how to ask. "Like, mouth the words, or..."

She fell quiet when the girl caught her hand in her own, turning it palm-up; and her finger traced letters on the palm.

" _M... I... K... U_ ," Luka read aloud. "Mi-ku? Am I saying that right? Miku?"

The girl- Miku nodded, giving her a smile.

Her partner returned it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luka."

**The Reaper's Game  
** **Chapter Closed**


	2. The 2nd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Wrote the first chapter while watching Black★Rock Shooter (the anime series, not the OVA) because I'm WAY too impatient to wait for a whole episode to load at once and I don't trust my connection to keep it all loaded if I do. Then around episode 5, things got too intense for me to divide my attention, so I just ended up pacing and trying to foresee what happens next (and failing epically).

"I don't like this."

"Is this even legal?"

"This isn't even a loophole, this is tight to the rules."

"That doesn't mean it's very fair."

"Since when have  _you_ cared about fair?"

"How are we supposed to score like this?"

"It  _does_ explain last week, doesn't it?"

A creak of hinges in dire need of oiling; the displeased conversation fell quiet, and all eyes turned to the door that stood on them. The first one stepped through was a tall figure with long purple hair in the largest tail any of them had ever seen, dressed in white combative garb, with a large katana sheathed at his hip. "Ladies," he greeted.

"Conductor," chorused seven of the eight figures there.

A moment's quiet; then the Conductor turned to the shortest of those assembled. "Ryuto," he reprimanded.

"Gakupo," muttered the same Reaper who had confronted Luka and Miku at 39.

Kamui Gakupo stepped inside, clearing the way for another; a woman with brown hair that faded to red at the tips, dressed in white with uneven sleeves that did not join to her top.

"Oh, Kokone!" A Reaper with multi-coloured hair had surprise on her face as she called, "You're GMing this week?"

"Yes, the plans have already been set."

Kokone stepped in and took her seat, and the minute shuffles of impatience vanished in an instantaneous blanket of silence. The third figure that stepped in was not  _visually_ intimidating, a head shorter than Gakupo with shoulder-length green hair, dressed in yellow and orange with a pair of goggles (silver with dark lenses) on her forehead. But to those who knew who this woman was - and what she did - no one would mock Naka Gumi.

"...Composer." The feeble greeting came from a blonde Reaper in scant black-and-white garb.

That breaking of the silence seemed to eliminate the hesitations that had draped the room when she stepped in. A younger-looking Reaper with long blue hair spoke up; "So, what the  _hell_ , Gumi?" she demanded. "What are you doing, starting the Game with so few Players? Do you want us all erased?"

"If I wanted you all erased," Gumi interrupted, "I wouldn't have let last week happen."

The objecting Reaper pulled away, awkward.

Gumi glanced around. "I'm gonna make this simple," she insisted. "This Game... these next few Games are all gonna be like this. The UG is under judgement. The sooner it's over, the better. I'm starting each session as soon as we meet the requisites. I'll try not to do them consecutively, but I can't guarantee you'll have more than a week between Games. Am I clear?"

"Yes," came in unison from around the table.

"As Galaco pointed out, Kokone is this session's Game Master," Gumi continued. "You answer to her, unless Gakupo or I tell you otherwise. If I hear any of you have interfered, you will be  _extraordinarily_ lucky if I do not erase you myself."

That grim notion settled over the gathering.

"Meeting adjourned."

* * *

Luka opened her eyes, her body having grown stiff again. As she rose, she found Miku lying on the pavement beside her; they were now at the Flower Fight Memorial, centered south in DIVA District. "Morning...?"

Miku's lips were moving soundlessly; she seemed as disoriented by the change of locale as Luka was.

"I... think this has to do with the mission," Luka offered. "Our mission has something to do around here. They put us here to make it easier on us." She shook her head. "That's the best I got."

She got an assuring smile from Miku as they got to their feet. After a moment, Miku reached into her pocket and drew out her cell phone; her brow furrowed, and then her expression became one of surprise and then relief, confusing Luka to all ends. "Um...?"

Her fingers dashed about the screen for a moment, the device emitting a click with every press; then she turned the phone towards Luka, revealing she had a memo open.  _Contract's disabled, but everything else still works. It'll be easier for me to write like this._

"Fair enough," Luka agreed.

The phone in Miku's hands went off, and she almost dropped it as a simultaneous buzz emerged from Luka's pocket. The rose-haired girl drew out her own phone to read the message.

 _Mission: Clear the battlefield of Two Kind Walk_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

Miku's lips moved to 'battlefield', and she raised a confused look to Luka.

"I don't- Ugh!" She yelped as the pain ripped through her hand; the timer had appeared. "I don't know what that's about either. Let's find out."

* * *

Two Kind Walk was the southernmost edge of DIVA, a short pedestrian route connecting Starmine Square with Tengaku Square; the Flower Fight Memorial was only accessible from the walk. As Miku and Luka started to step out, they found their pace cut short - a barrier of some sort stopped them from leaving the memorial.

"What?" Luka pressed her hand against it; semitransparent white hexagons seemed to appear around the point where the barrier connected. "We can't get through?!"

Miku pounded her fist against it; her expression was one of panic, and she was halfway through a silent question when a voice came from nearby.

"Dammit, tell us ahead of time when you're gonna start! You  _know_ we set the walls up the day before!" Both Players turned to see someone dashing down Two Kind Walk; a girl with dark red hair, dressed in white. "Come on, it's the first day when there's actually an obstacle. People panic when they're stuck in a dead end." To Luka's surprise, she rounded the corner and stepped into the Flower Fight Memorial, passing through the barrier like it wasn't there. "Look, just tell us tomorrow  _before_ the mission starts okay? Thanks."

The girl hit 'end' on her phone and slipped it into her pocket; then she rolled her shoulders, and Luka and Miku both stumbled into the barrier when a pair of black Reaper wings emerged from her back.

She quickly turned to the Players. "Hi! Sorry about that."

"Who are you?" Luka demanded, taking a defensive stance.

"Don't go trying to hit me," the Reaper insisted, raising a hand warningly. "I'm your ticket out of here." At the Players' confused expressions, she elaborated; "Meet my terms, and I'll take down the wall."

Miku glanced at the barrier before turning back to her, aiming a finger at it uncertainly.

"That's the one," the Reaper confirmed. "Take out the Noise around here, and I'll let you through." She held out a hand. "I'm Azuki, by the way."

Luka glared.

"Okay, maybe that's kinda poor taste," Azuki admitted, withdrawing her hand and making her way to the corner of the area. "Let me know when you think we're done."

The Players exchanged glances before stepping away from the 'wall'. "Take out what Noise?" Luka wondered. "There's nothing here."

Miku was tapping away on her phone, and after a moment she showed the memo to Luka.  _You think maybe this might have to do with our Player Pins?_

"You think?" Luka reached into her pocket and pulled out the black pin with its skull; when she held it before her, she was surprised to find several strange sigils floating in the air around her - not all too different from the ones that the Reaper at 39 had summoned Noise from yesterday.

"Got you."

* * *

It only took them ten minutes to wipe out the Noise as requested; Azuki quickly brought the wall down, leaving Miku and Luka to step out onto Two Kind Walk. "Okay," Luka murmured, "so what's the 'battlefield'?"

Miku had started tapping on her phone when a loud yell burst out from nearby. Both Players turned to see a pair of sharp-dressed men standing opposite the memorial. looking angry with each other. "You've got to be kidding me," one of them, dressed in white, proclaimed. "Why are you backing out now?"

"Don't talk to me like that." The other was garbed in a dark blue, and had a large folder under one arm. "You've been fighting us since we started, and we've decided we're done playing around with this."

"Hey, don't act like we're doing this on purpose!" the white-suited man protested.

Luka narrowed her gaze; there was something...  _off_ about these two. They both carried an air of professionalism, yet neither seemed 'major' enough to be responsible for their situation. They spoke about something that they, themselves, had no control over and would have an impersonal effect at worst, but both seemed rather heated by the argument.

Miku's hand on her arm drew her attention; Luka turned to see her partner looking panicked and holding her Player Pin, which she waved meaningfully. Curious, Luka dug out her own Player Pin and held it before her, opening her up to the minds around her... and she was shocked to find several gold-tinged Noise emblems hanging around the two businessmen.

"What are the Noise doing to them?" she murmured.

 _I think they're affecting those_ _men_ , read Miku's hasty message. _If we can take them out, they should get back to normal._

"Right!"

Luka gripped her Player Pin in one hand, and raised her other towards the Noise sigils; they soared towards the two Players, and once they were near enough everything else seemed to vanish. From the sigils emerged two blue frog Noise, and as each one landed a ring of shapes appeared around it - they looked like tadpoles, but they also looked like musical notes. Miku quickly raised her hand, causing her flame to blaze on the ground; she quickly directed it to circle the frogs, burning their rings of notes while Luka held them back with her  _Eternal White_ pin. Once the spawn were done, the two worked together to cross out the frogs, eliminating them in short order.

When they could see the street again; the suited men looked considerably less aggravated. "Look, I'm sorry, man," the blue-clad sighed. "There's nothing I can do about this. My bosses have been giving me hell just for giving you this much leeway. They want this place _done_."

"We figured that part out already," the white-clad groaned. "There's seriously nothing we can do to convince them?"

"I don't think there is," the blue suit insisted.

Luka couldn't make any more sense of it. "What are they talking about?" she muttered.

Miku beckoned past the two men. The building they stood before looked like a had a large notice posted in its front window that read  _SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION_ \- but the original date was several months ago, and had been crossed out and written below **four times** , with the fifth line reading _PENDING_. There was also a symbol on the door window that seemed familiar... but Luka couldn't quite place it.

"So this is place," Luka mused. "I've heard about this. Something about a clash of ownership, or something?" She snapped her fingers. "Clash. Battle.  _Battlefield_. This is it. We need to settle this conflict, I think."

The two businessmen parted ways, and Miku showed a memo.  _We should look inside and see if we can find anything. Important files that were forgotten or something._

"Inside? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

_There won't be anyone in there, and scheduling a demolition takes least a few weeks._

"Point."

The two of them stepped inside, Luka leading the way. The interior was, unsurprisingly, draped in a thick layer dust; both Players were coughing as they closed the door behind them. It looked like it had once been a counseling office, or something; Luka had started towards the front desk when Miku caught her arm. The silent girl had her gaze on the floor, and when Luka followed it she saw a  _path_ in the dust - a route where someone had walked through it. Recently.

Luka shook her head. "What's this doing here?"

The trail in the dust led to a stairwell; Miku made sure to cover her mouth this time as she pushed it open. The ascending stairs were evidently untouched, but the stairs descending into a basement had disturbances in the dust... and as the two Players descended, they could hear voices -  _chanting_ , like spectators at a sport. Luka exchanged worried glances with Miku as they hit the landing immediately opposite a door, from which the sounds were coming.

The door had no window; carefully, Luka opened it just a crack.

'Battlefield' had not been metaphorical. In the basement of a building awaiting demolition, a fighting ring was being hosted, and it seemed that not all of the combatants were voluntary; an unconscious and bloodied figure was being dragged away, and someone else was shoved into the ring by the crowd, which proceeded to bar his way when he tried to retreat. Luka pulled away, hands clasped over her mouth to stop herself from screaming; Miku turned to her, worried.

" _This_ is what the Reapers want us to do?" Luka's voice was a high-pitched squeal into her hands. "How are we supposed to...?"

Miku glanced through the door before pulling back. After a moment, she dug out her phone and started tapping on a memo; the clicks of her phone sounded all the louder in the empty stairwell.

"Wait!" A voice was yelling on the opposite side of the door. " **Wait!** There's someone out here!" That statement brought Miku's typing to a halt; both of them turned as the door flew open, and Luka was terrified to see all eyes on her and Miku.

The silent Player mouthed something foul.

"Well, well, looky here." A large bruiser stepped out of the crowd. "Who are you two supposed to be?"

"We're here because we were ordered to be," Luka said timidly.

The bruiser laughed. "The cops sent you, huh?" he mused. "What, did they think just two people could come here and get some dirt on us, then just walk away?"

Luka chuckled nervously. "I don't know about  _walk_..."

Miku quickly braced herself against the floor and threw a kick between the bruiser's legs. It wasn't very practiced, or particularly powerful, but in such a sensitive region it didn't have to be; the bruiser howled, and Miku quickly got to her feet and dragged Luka to hers as they charged up the stairs. A sound like a thundering herd chased them to the ground floor - it sounded like the entire gathering was chasing them - and they quickly dashed across the entryway and out the front door.

"I thought Players were invisible to civilians!?" Luka protested, to which Miku raised her hands to assert that she didn't know either.

They were halfway across the walk when the door was breached by the crowd. To Luka's confusion, they started scanning the street like they were looking for something, as though she and Miku weren't straight ahead of them; the bruiser that Miku had kicked stormed through the crowd angrily. "They must've had a ride. Get out of here! They'll be back any minute!"

The crowd broke, everyone fleeing in a different direction; and after an uncertain moment, Luka glanced at her palm.

**69:25**

**69:24**

Then nothing; the timer vanished to show their mission was complete.

"We did it," Luka sighed. She turned to Miku to find a relieved smile from her partner meeting her own. "I didn't think it would be that easy."

"Nor did I."

The voice drew their attention; there was someone standing on top of the very building they had just left, silhouetted by what seemed to be a motorcycle's headlights. They could male out an obvious female body - and the skeletal wings of a Reaper. "Could've sworn this'd be an easy erase and I'd have the rest of the week off, but  _no_. Guess I'll have to do this the hard way."

She raised her hand - and in the air between her and them appeared a horned Noise sigil. Luka and Miku stumbled back as from it emerged a massive figure - it looked like a bear in slate grey and pale blue, but it stood upright on its hind legs, and its other two limbs were orange lines forming massive, clawed arms.

"Dammit!" Luka raised her hand, seizing the grizzly with her pin; Miku lit a flame at its feet to cross it out, but two more sigils appeared on either side, from which emerged grey wolf Noise. Miku directed her flame at one; the other tried to leap at her, prompting Luka to seize it and leaving the grizzly to march on them. Miku's wolf was burned away in short order; the bear didn't even flinch from the fire alone, leaving Miku to cross out the wolf Luka was holding as the grizzly made to swipe at her.

Luka screamed from the blow, tumbling across the street. Miku stepped back, keeping her flames trained on the wolf - but to no avail. It advanced on her unhesitatingly, and had an arm raised to strike with when a sudden pulse ripped up around its neck. Luka's  _Eternal White_  worked even while she was on the ground, stopping it from attacking Miku as long as her partner could focus on it, and the two attacks striking it together quickly crossed it out.

Miku quickly dashed to Luka's side, mouthing a silent question. "I'm alright," Luka assured her; and the two partners turned back to the building.

The Reaper was had left the headlights, and the bike's engine screamed as it left the rooftop, landing roughly on the street before it and skidding sideways. Mounted on it was a woman with blonde hair long enough to risk catching on the back tire - which might explain why the bike was designed so the wheels were contained. She was garbed scantly in black and white, with a few gold highlights on her skirt; her wings were almost parallel out from her back until the bike came to rest, likely to prevent them from colliding with something if she leaned into a sharp turn.

In one hand was gripped a revolver, and as she set a foot on the ground to brace the bike she aimed it at the Players threateningly. "If you want something done, you do it yourself, right?"

"...Lily."

Luka's muttering caused the Reaper's glare to falter. "Huh?"

"Oh god you're Avex Lily," Luka gasped, seizing the sides of her head."Oh, my god,  _Avex Lily is a Reaper!_ Since when is Avex Lily a Reaper!?" Her expression was somewhere between joy and horror as she turned to Miku, who looked like she was fighting a fit of giggles. "Half my life I've been longing for a chance like this and happens in the Reaper's Game?"

"Wh-What? Wait, hold on." The Reaper- Lily had lowered her revolver, confused. "You know about me?"

"You're the most famous stunt biker in Diola!" Luka cried out. "Who in this city  _doesn't_ know about you?" She turned away for a moment before turning back. "I'm sorry, I am _so_ conflicted right now. How am I even supposed to react in this situation!?"

Her expression settled on horror when Lily raised the revolver again - this time leveled on Luka. "Face the facts, fangirl," she reprimanded. "I  _am_ a Reaper. And that means I want you erased. The  _appropriate_ reaction?"

She settled her finger on the trigger.

"Treat me like you would anyone who wants to kill you."

**2 People  
Chapter Closed**


	3. The 3rd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Writing a Reaper's Game is a surprisingly slow process.

Miku opened her eyes.

She was lying in what looked to be a skate park. After a moment, she realized she knew it, though not from this angle; Fire Child Sports Park, between Rouge and Starmine Squares. Getting to her feet, Miku saw she was lying at the base of a curved rise; the circular top was concave, to provide an edge for skaters to grind on. It was the early hours of the morning, in which no skaters would have even gotten out of bed; hesitant and uncertain, she made her way to the top of the rise... or tried to. The angle was not designed for humans to just walk up, and before long Miku was sliding back down to the bottom.

A silent moment of worry.

Then a head of pink hair rose out of the top of the rise, relieving any of Miku's worries.

* * *

_"Treat me like you would anyone who wants to kill you."_

_Luka was panicking as the Reaper prepared to fire at her. Miku still had her pin ready; if Luka couldn't react, she had to do something. She raised her hand-_

_"That's enough of that, Lily."_

_Lily's expression became one of befuddlement, and she turned towards the source of the voice, lowering her revolver. "Yowane?"_

_Miku and Luka both followed her gaze. Standing there was a figure with grey-white hair almost as long as she was tall, drawn into a long tail; she wore a narrow grey top that bared her midriff, bell-bottomed black leggings, and detached black sleeves. Her red eyes were locked onto Lily, almost reprimanding - and to Miku's confusion, she did not wear a Player Pin, nor did she have the wings of a Reaper._

_"What are you doing here?" Lily demanded._

_"Neru asked me to keep my eyes open," the white-haired girl replied. "What do you think you're doing? Reapers aren't allowed to attack Players directly."_

_"What!?" Luka rounded on the biker. "But..."_

_Lily groaned. " **Unless** the Players attack first," she finished. "You didn't have to tell them that."_

_"I **did** have to tell them that," the white-hair replied. "Apparently whoever messes up is in deep shit."_

_The Reaper holstered her pistol. "It wouldn't have been messing up if it was retaliation," she snapped. Then, turning to the Players; "Have fun this week, you two."_

_Her bike's engine screamed, and Miku and Luka stepped back to give her a wide berth as she drove off._ _Miku turned to the white-haired girl, mouthing a silent 'thank you'._

_"You're welcome," she replied. "You two are both alright?"_

_"I'm fine," Luka insisted. "Who are you?"_

_"Yowane Haku. Call me a watcher for the watchmen." She shook her head. "Gotta admit, you two pulled off this mission in record time. Nobody thought it'd be done that fast."_

_"We don't know **how** we did it that fast," Luka admitted. "Why could those people see us? And why did they  **stop** seeing us?"_

_Haku sighed. "Because you came in and out of the building."_

_Luka's confusion was reflected on Miku's face, her lips moving in a silent 'what'._

_"The Reaper's Game happens in the Underground," Haku explained, "or 'UG'. As long as you're in the UG, the only people in DIVA District who can see you are others in the UG - others involved in the Reaper's Game."_

_"So... Reapers, Players, and..." Luka aimed a hand at Haku, ending uncertainly with "watchers?"_

_Miku tried to stifle a giggle on reflex; her voicelessness meant the motion made it **more** noticeable. Haku chuckled and replied, "Yes. However, certain buildings will cause you to shift back to the RG - the Realground, the DIVA District you know." She pointed towards the building they'd come out of; the mark emblazoned on the door's window was still there, and Luka realized it was a skull - the same stylized skull as on their Player Pins - over an X. "In any building with that mark, people can see you, hear you, touch you. Reapers can go to and from the RG at will, but Players can only do so here."_

_"So that's what happened," Luka realized._

_Miku held out her phone, and Haku turned to see she'd tapped out a memo;_ A Reaper we ran into yesterday said something about being lucky to find us. Aren't there any other Players around?

_Haku closed her eyes. "Normally, there would be," she admitted. "But something's going on in DIVA District. The Reapers want to clear through the Game as fast as they can - and they're starting each Game almost as soon as there are two Players to play." Shaking her head; "You two are the only Players for this Game. That means they're going to be desperate to try and erase you. Stay on your guard."_

_"What do you mean, desperate?" Luka asked. "That Reaper at the wall... Azuki?" She glanced at Miku, who nodded to confirm, and then continued, "didn't try to erase us."_

_"Sorry," Haku insisted. "I shouldn't have said 'they', that sounds like I'm talking about all of them. There are two kinds of Reapers. Lily is what we call a Harrier - she gets in your way for a living. If a Harrier doesn't score by erasing Players, **they** get erased. On the other hand, Azuki is Support, and she doesn't  **want** to get in your way. The GM decides where to set up walls, and Support issues missions for the ones the Players are allowed to clear."_

_"GM?"_

_"Game Master," Haku elaborated. "The Reaper in charge of this week's Game. Her job is to achieve 100% erasure; see to the elimination all the Players in the Game - in this case, you two."_

_Miku tapped at another memo again._ What happens if one of us gets erased and the other doesn't?

_"That can't happen," Haku insisted. "Especially not in this Game. If a Player gets erased, their partner has seven minutes to try and form a new pact; then they're erased automatically. The only way you could survive is if someone else had **their** partner erased, and you formed a pact with them. In this Game, that's not an option"_

_That grim thought settled over them._

_Haku pursed her lips briefly. "One more thing," she added. "When you entered the Game... did you notice something missing?"_

_Miku raised a hand to her neck; was this why she had lost her voice?_

_"Every Player comes to the UG for a common reason," Haku continued. "And each Player has to give up what they value most."_

_"That Reaper yesterday mentioned something like that," Luka recalled. "He thought she was just too scared to talk, but when she told him he couldn't, he said something about it being her fault."_

_"Ryuto," Haku muttered. "Someone's gotta give that kid a lesson." With a shake of her head; "Your entry fee is kept from you for the duration of the Game. Survive, and the fee will be returned to you at the end of the Game."_

_Miku's lips moved, asking a silent 'why'; she didn't understand why Haku was telling them this._

_"Because the last Players to enter the Game made no effort to survive," Haku insisted. "They had no motivation to live for seven days. I don't want that to happen again. I want you to know you have something to gain from this."_

* * *

Miku's phone went off in her pocket as she watched Luka slide down the rise. "Morning," she greeted as she got to her feet, and she and Miku drew out their phones. "What's happening today?"

 _Mission: See to the safety of Pain Crave Bridge_  
_You have 100 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"The bridge?" Luka sounded concerned. "Why..."

A sudden shock as the timer appeared; Luka's grip on her phone faltered, and her hand jerked involuntarily in response to the sensation. Her phone nearly tumbled to the ground before Miku caught it, and she quickly got to her feet and handed the phone back to her.

"Th-Thanks..."

There was an unusual worry in Luka's voice that gave Miku unease.  _What's wrong with the bridge?_

"We'd better get going," Luka prompted. "C'mon, it's not that far from here."

Their destination was accessible from Rouge Square; a short walk along Aqua Street took them there, where Luka and Miku found a Reaper waiting for them. The girl had with waist-length green hair, and was dressed in white not all too differently from Azuki. She was leaning back in the air - or rather, against the wall standing between the Players and their mission - and had a phone in hand that she was rapidly tapping on; as the Players approached, she quickly tapped something and came to a stop, pulling herself off the wall as they got near.

"Morning, Players," she greeted.

Miku aimed a confused figure at the wall behind her, her lips moving in a silent 'how'.

"What?" Then, before they could respond; "Azuki was in the RG yesterday when she got the call, wasn't she."

"I think so," Luka admitted. "She just walked through it, I thought Reapers weren't affected by them."

The Reaper sighed. "Anyone _in the UG_ is affected by them - Players, Reapers, whatever." She shook her head. "Now, then, my terms. Given how few the Players are, and with the missions so far, I doubt you two have learned about memes yet?"

"Memes?" Luka asked.

"Thought not," the Reaper mused. "It's something your Player Pin can do. Every Player's phone gets updated with an app called _Memetic,_ " - and here she paused to let Miku check her phone - "that interacts with your Player Pin. If you hear a word or phrase to do with things you encounter that day, you'll get a notification to tell you that you can use the term. Once you have that, focus on a civilian with the Player Pin and you'll be able to send little flashes of inspiration into their mind. Most players find it easiest to use their phone as something of a medium."

Miku nodded, then aimed a finger at the wall.

"You got it," the Reaper confirmed. "There's someone in this plaza in a bitter mood. Give them something a little uplifting, and I'll let you pass."

Their phones buzzed, and Miku glanced down to see the notification -  ** _Memetic:_** _New meme: Uplifting._

* * *

A well-aimed thought at a shopkeeper in a building that _wasn't_ decorated with the Reaper mark; then the two Players were able to make their way onto Pain Crave Bridge. There was a prominent DO NOT ENTER for vehicle traffic, although it looked like pedestrians were still allowed through.

 _I didn't think this was still part of DIVA District,_  Miku tapped out on her memo.

"The city limits stop at the end of the bridge," Luka admitted, sounding none-too-enthusiastic. "I kinda doubt the Reapers will let us go that far... but anyways."

They were barely a third of the way down the bridge when they found the cause of the blockade; several construction workers had barred off a section around the barriers of the bridge, a good section of which had been removed. The only thing that allowed pedestrians to continue by was the vehicles carrying their supplies being shorter than the bridge was wide, leaving one of the walkways empty. It seemed to Miku that they were in the midst of replacing  _all_ of the barriers; there was a very prominent difference in material and structure on one side of the construction zone and the other.

 _This must have to do with our mission,_  Miku realized. _See to the safety of the bridge... we have to make sure the repairs go alright?_  She started to tap out a message for Luka when she realized her partner was approaching the construction zone; the blockade was low enough for her to step over it, and Miku quickly started after her as she continued past the workers, a few of whom seemed to be arguing.

Luka raised a hand to the point where the barrier was supposed to be - and was unsurprised to find her hand colliding with a wall, rippling into visibility at the point where her hand connected with him.

"Thought so." Her voice was unusually solemn, and she glanced down off the bridge; a river that ran through Diola passed under the bridge, but much further out from the city. "The bridge is part of DIVA District, but nothing underneath it is. So they won't let us leave the bridge.

Miku quickly tapped out a memo for her as she approached.  _The wall stops us from leaving the bridge in the UG, but people the RG could still fall out. I think we need to make sure the construction keeps going._

"Yeah. That makes sense." Luka towards the arguing workers. "Maybe them?"

She didn't sound too sure of herself; but nonetheless, they approached the conversing workers. As they got closer to the conversation, it became clear that they weren't  _arguing_ ; one seemed to be telling the others a story and was imitating the voice of someone involved. They seemed to be in a rather good mood; but Miku could feel a strange air of displeasure about them, despite their laughter and cheers.

Her hand dove into her pocket and grasped her Player Pin.

Yes, as suspected - Noise were gathered at the gathering, sigils floating around the men ominously. When she listened to the thoughts behind the conversation, she realized each man was putting on a joyful facade in an effort to avoid proceeding to their task. She touched Luka's arm to get her attention and raised the Player Pin. 'Noise', she mouthed; and Luka - who had pinned her own Player Pin to her garb along with her combat pin - quickly touched it to focus.

"So we just need to take out those Noise? That's too easy..." She sighed. "But I suppose we'd better start with that than risk running out of time."

She and Miku raised their hands towards the floating sigils, and they were drawn close as the world flickered out, leaving nothing but the Players and their foes. A large grizzly Noise dropped from one, looming threateningly over them; a trio of blue frogs hopped out of the other three, two of them ringed by floating sprogs.

Luka quickly pulled her hand off her Player Pin. "Cross out the big one!"

Her hand raised, and pulses rose up around the grizzly's neck as she started choking it; Miku quickly lit a flame under its feet with her  _Blossom_ pin, and the Noise started flashing as the attacks converged; the tadpoles quickly detached from their frogs while the Players were occupied, and she flinched as they got near... but no. They didn't try to bring harm; they just started circling her, leaving her body feeling... heavy. As the grizzly faded out, the frogs were getting close; she made to move away and found her body refusing to move that fast, leaving her unable to stop the frog from leaping upon her and then leaping away, throwing her to the ground and cutting out her fire.

She quickly relit the flame below her; the psych wouldn't hurt her or her partner if she didn't want it to, and the sprogs quickly burned away. Miku quickly directed the flame to ring Luka, who was busy choking the frogs as they tried to jump at her; once their spawn was gone, the two of them proceeded to crossing out the rest of the Noise.

"Okay," Luka groaned as everything else faded back in. "Don't let the spawn get on you. Did that work?"

Miku seized her Player Pin again - and to her dismay, it  _hadn't_ worked. There were still Noise floating around the gathering, and the men's thoughts hadn't changed at all. Luka saw her partner mouth something foul and checked with her own Player Pin to find that there were indeed a fresh set of Noise there.

And she noticed something... off.

"They're not clinging," Luka realized. "It's not like before - they're not being  _affected_ by the Noise. They're just... attracting them. Oh..."

The workers were starting to rise up, preparing to resume working - but the Noise hadn't gone anywhere. A thought rose in Miku's mind; she focused on one of the workers' thoughts again, trying to pay attention.

_Man, this job just keeps dragging on and on. It's like the more progress we make, the harder the work gets. It's gonna be hell when we get to the end of the bridge._

Miku quickly tapped out a memo on her phone and showed it to Luka.  _Something about this job is getting their spirits down. It's luring the Noise. There might be something causing it further along the bridge._

"Further along...?" Luka sighed, glancing at her timer; they were down to  **57:23**. "Alright. Might as well."

She turned and started across the construction zone, stepping over the blockade, and now Miku was convinced. There was something about Pain Crave Bridge that lingered on Luka's mind; that's why she was being so unresponsive today. She quickly vaulted the blockade and followed Luka on her way down the bridge.

* * *

The Bridge was long; the two Players were down to  **35:08** when they arrived at the point where the waters crossed beneath them. Miku would later be embarrassed to admit that she proceeded to run smack into another wall, this one extending across the bridge just past the river; this was the end of DIVA District, at least as far as the UG was concerned. A few civilians on the bridge were still walking through the wall unaffected, and although there were blockades here, there was no construction; Miku reckoned they had been put here preemptively, then simply left behind when more were added to the end of the bridge.

Rubbing her forehead where it collided with the wall, she turned to face Luka... and found that she had come to a stop a good ways back. There was a small hole in the barrier that looked like it had been broken open by somebody; it was narrow enough that Miku hadn't noticed it, only noticed it  **now** because Luka had her hand against the wall that lined the bridge. Miku quickly dashed up to her, setting a hand on her arm. 'What's wrong?' she mouthed, worried.

"This..."

Luka couldn't finish before a loud  _roar_ echoed around them. She quickly stumbled away from the break in the barrier, and the civilians walking along the bridge flickered out - as they always did when the Players were fighting Noise. To their horror, a massive, draconic-looking figure dropped down on them, looming over them; it had an avian figure in red and blue, but its clawed feet, long tail, and monstrous face were all formed of waving lines; this thing was a _Noise_.

Miku quickly ignited her flame beneath its face; Luka thrust her hand forward to seize it with her pin, and though the flashes in tandem with Miku's fire told her that she was hurting it, it did nothing to hinder the dragon's movement. It reared its head back briefly before opening its mouth, and crimson orbs blitzed out from its mouth, flying in different directions. Luka and Miku both leapt aside from the blasts; its launched again, this time in a wider spray; Luka managed to sidestep, but Miku was thrown against the barrier, and the drake quickly swept its tail forward, barely missing Luka with the blow.

 _I can't hold it!_ Luka cursed. Another swipe of the tail caused her to leap aside, nearly colliding with the blockades at the district boundaries; as the drake started to turn on Miku, she thrust her hand forward to choke it again, keeping its attention on her. Its body flashed again as Miku relit her flame, and the drake seemed to be stunned by the crossed blows.

Luka had a single, stupid idea; she released the drake's hold, and as it stopped flashing the vaulted the blockade. Desperately hoping it would work, she held her pin out toward the blockade, and to her great relief the weighty obstacle was lifted off the ground as the white pulse rippled around it. She quickly thrust it towards the drake, and the blockade flew forward; the drake tried to launch its flames again and ended up slamming its jaw to the barrier, trapping its teeth closed. Luka lifted the blockade skyward, causing the drake to reel back, flashing; then she slammed it down on the Noise, causing it to shatter and leaving the opponent reeling. She returned to choking it as Miku's flame continued to burn, and when it started to recover she seized the other blockade and drew it around, slamming it across the drake's head and leaving it spinning.

Again did she drag the blockade skyward and shatter it over the drake's head - and this time, the Noise faded out as the pieces clattered.

Miku gave a silent sigh, slumping over relieved; when she glanced at her hand, she was worried to see that they were still on the clock. She started to turn to Luka and was concerned to find her standing still, panting lightly, but with her gaze on the hole in the bridge; she quickly dashed forward and shook her by the shoulder. 'What's with you?' she mouthed once she had her partner's attention; they didn't have time to dilly-dally.

Luka was able to make out what she was trying to say. Slowly, the pink-haired girl raised her hand towards the hole.

'What about it?'

"This is... where I died."

Now, Miku understood; Luka hadn't wanted to revisit the horrid memories of her death. With a shake of her head, she raised her timer-marked hand to show her partner.. 'We're not done,' she mouthed.

"R-right," Luka insisted. "The mission. Now what do we do?"

Miku beckoned for Luka to follow her and started running back towards DIVA District, leaving Luka to chase after her.

* * *

They were cutting it fine at  **9:42** as they approached the conversing workers again. Now a Noise was clinging to each of the three men, and their conversation had turned unpleasant; the two Players quickly drew them close to provoke the Noise into battle. Green, serpentine figures emerge from each of the sigils, waved lines emerging from their bodies like wings. One arced into a curl, launching a wedge of light towards Luka; she sidestepped the blow and started choking it, and Miku noticed the other two were near enough that when she lit her flame between them, it burned them both.

Remembering what her psych had done to the blockades, Luka thrust her hand towards the other two minks - and was pleasantly surprised when the Noise she had seized was slammed into its allies and dragged into the flames. She started alternating chokeholds between the three serpents, and soon enough, the three of them had faded out.

"Alright, fellas, back to work!"

Miku glanced at her timer hand and found the palm bare; she quickly sat down on one of the blockades, taking a few heavy breaths (running here from almost the other end of the bridge had not been one of her smarter ideas). Luka sat down beside her, somber, and Miku quickly drew out her phone and tapped a memo.  _Is that why you didn't want to come here?_

"Yeah," Luka admitted. "I didn't really want to see the place where I'd died again."

_What happened? Who killed you?_

Luka winced when Miku showed her the memo. "No... No, that's the thing. I..." She closed her eyes and sighed.

"... **I** killed me."

**Cutting Girl  
Chapter Closed**


	4. The 4th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Next time I'm gonna plan each Day's mission BEFORE I start writing.

"You did  _ **what!?**_ "

Lily had been in the middle of a conversation with the Composer when a yellow-haired figure had stormed into the room and told Gumi what happened on Day 2. The biker didn't hesitate to correct the report. "I didn't  _attack_ them," she insisted. "Not directly. I just set a few Noise on them."

"Haku said you threatened them," reprimanded the new entrant.

"Yowane needs to learn what a threat is," Lily insisted. "I just told them I was a Reaper, and I wanted them erased."

Gumi blinked. "...What?"

"That pink one, Megurine, I guess she was a fan in the RG," Lily explained. "She didn't know how to react, and I told her 'treat me like you would anyone who wants to kill you'. Yowane stopped them before they could react."

Silence in the room for a long moment... and then Gumi started to chuckle. Lily and her accuser exchanged glances as the Composer threw her head back and laughed, loudly and joyfully. "Cheeky!" she exclaimed. "Bitchy, freaky! You tried to make them think they were attacking you in self-defense, so that you would be allowed to attack them in self-defense! That is _cruel_ and _brilliant_!"

"Composer!?"

Gumi ignored the exclamation, slapping Lily's shoulder approvingly. "I'm gonna let you off with a warning," she insisted, "and only because that was clever." Then, raising a finger, "But don't you dare try that again, alright? If they had gone through with it, and you retaliated, you provoking them makes that a violation."

"But-"

"Let it go, Neru," Gumi insisted, turning to the accuser. "She didn't break anything."

* * *

Miku had a feeling she knew where she was even before she opened her eyes the next day; the bustle was louder than any other in DIVA District. Sure enough, they were in the plaza surrounding the 39 Building, and the sun shone down at them from noon. As she got to her feet, she found Luka was already awake, sitting on the curb looking despondent.

After yesterday, Miku couldn't really blame her.

Luka had an expression that made it clear didn't want to be disturbed. With a quiet sigh, Miku reached for her  _Blossom_ pin and pulled it off her shirt, giving it a proper look like she hadn't had time for since Day 1. It had a rather simple design - a very pale surface, nearly white, with a pink flower on it; five pairs of conjoined petals forming a star of sorts. Around the edges of the pin was what looked like fanciful loops, but on closer inspection turned out to be small, cursive writing:  Beneath a thousand cherry trees... The opposite surface was largely unadorned steel, save for the name of the pin.

A moment passed with nothing but the voices and thoughts of the RG; then Miku stuck the pin back on her shirt and stepped towards Luka. The pink-haired girl barely seemed to notice as Miku sat down beside her until a hand was set on her shoulder. "No mission yet," Luka reminded her. "We don't need to be in any hurry."

Miku drew out her phone and tapped a memo.  _Are you going to even try after we do get one?_

"What's that about?" Luka reprimanded. "Of course I'm going to try. Why wouldn't I?"

 _You look like somebody who doesn't have a lot of reason to keep going,_ Miku insisted.

Luka sighed. "What happened to me doesn't matter," she argued. "You're my partner. And we're the only two Players in this game. If we don't complete the mission, you don't get your second chance either. I'll get you through this."

Miku slapped her. Luka didn't have the chance to react to it. As she was getting upright, Miku tapped again.  _Don't act like that. You have just as much reason to get back as I do._

"Weren't you listening to me?" Luka reminded her. "I **k** **illed** myself. I jumped off the bridge. Why would I have a reason to get back!?"

_A lot of people do stupid things when they're sad, or_

Luka had her gaze on Miku's phone, and interrupted her before she could finish. "That's not what happened," she insisted. "I didn't..." Tears were starting to well in her eyes. "I didn't do it because I was sad. I wasn't being bullied, or mourning, or anything. I wasn't thinking  **anything**. I threw myself off the bridge on a  **whim!** "

She buried her face in her hands, letting the tears flow, and now Miku was concerned. That didn't make sense. People didn't just commit suicide because they felt like it; there had to be a reason. There had to be something they were missing.

_"Every Player comes to the UG for a common reason. And each Player has to give up what they value most."_

Haku's words rose in her mind, and a realization caught her. Miku set a hand on Luka's shoulder and shook it lightly, and when she turned towards her she made to speak.

"Miku, I can't hear you," she sobbed.

Miku gave her a meaningful look. 'And why is that?'

Luka turned away. "Did you forget already? That must've been your fee to..." Then she realized. "Wait a minute..."

 _Your entry fee_ , Miku tapped out _. There must have been a reason for what you did. Maybe they took your memory of that reason because that was what you cared about most. If we can win this game, you'll get your fee back._

A small smile rose on Luka's face as she wiped the tears away. "Miku..."

Their phones went off; Miku glanced down to find a new message had arrived.

 _Mission: Quiet the master of Swordsman's Square_  
_You have 120 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Swordsman's Square?" Luka murmured. "That's between Ashes and Tengaku, isn't it? Why would they give us two hours for that and then put us here?"

'Who knows', Miku admitted, shrugging.

The two got up and started towards the exit to Parallel Circuit - and found a familiar red-haired Reaper standing there. "Azuki?"

"Oh, hey, you guys!" Azuki beamed. Then, seeing Luka's tear-streaked face; "Woah, what happened?"

"It's nothing," Luka insisted. "You got a job for us?"

Azuki shrugged. "Well, yeah, if you wanna get onto Parallel." Then, at their confused faces; "Matcha's watching the way to Snowdust Street. If you think mine's a little too tough, feel free to take hers."

Miku giggled silently as Luka shook her head. "I doubt it," she insisted.

"Spunky!" Azuki cheered. "Now..." She aimed her finger at the building in the center of the plaza. "You guys ever gone shopping in 39?"

"Yeah," Luka confirmed, and Miku nodded to agree.

Azuki had a devilish expression on. "Well, then..." She beckoned them closer, and as the confused Players drew near she whispered closely to them.

Luka reeled back. " _You want us to wear_ ** _what!_** _?_ "

* * *

The Players ended up taking Matcha's task after all; the Support reaper set Noise on them, and asked the Players to take them out without attacking the same one. She seemed rather surprised at their choice, and after the fight, asked what Azuki had wanted that they chose otherwise.

"She wanted you to wear  **what**?" Matcha echoed.

"I mean, the RG can't see us, right?" Luka recalled. "But I'm still not comfortable showing that much skin in the middle of DIVA District."

Matcha shook her head. "No kidding. Alright, wall clear. I'm gonna have some words with her." What looked to be a white pin was flipped like a coin as she started off, and the Players quickly started onto Snowdust Street.

They arrived at their destination with 110 minutes left; Swordsman's Square was something of a recreational area, with an arcade, a gym, a bookshop whose owner was rather less-than-popular in DIVA, and a kendo dojo that was rumored to have been made at the start of Diola. Luka noticed that the arcade,  _CUL's_ , had the Game skull on its front window, marking it as Player-accessible; meanwhile, the dojo had a large  _CLOSED FOR REPAIRS_ sign out front, and the windows were all dark.

"Does that not seem suspicious to you?" Luka mused.

'Little bit', Miku mouthed, angling her hand side to side.

The dojo's door was cracked open when they got near; a lack of skulls on the windows dissuaded any worries of being ambushed by brutes again as they stepped inside. The windows had slotted blinds that made it easy to tell whether the lights were on from outside, but hard to see if they weren't even when it was sunny outside; both of the girls' phones had flashlights, and they quickly turned them on to cast them around.

"Okay," Luka muttered, reaching for her Player Pin, "so where's this 'master'?"

A quick scan of the dark area revealed no Noise lurking around; Miku's light went out as she opened a memo and started tapping.  _Don't suppose you know this place?_

"Not even a little bit. I've never been one for kendo." Luka cast her light around and found a nearby door. "That looks like a stairwell, let's see where that goes."

There were no lower levels in this one; a sign by the door said  _TECHNICIANS ONLY_ , but given the continued quietude when they opened the door, neither of the Players feared any trouble as they made their way up a level. To their dismay, it wasn't much of a floor; it looked more like the back of something huge, covered in wires.

Luka clicked her tongue. "This is a giant screen," she realized. "This area is where they go to set it up." She gave another scan with her Pin. "Still nothing. What's the 'master' of this place?"

Miku turned off her light again and started to tap a memo, but was quickly interrupted by a commotion on the steps behind them; it seemed that someone was coming up. Knowing the RG couldn't see them but still not exactly eager to get in anyone's way, the two Players retreated into a corner, and Luka killed her light just to be safe as a trio of men came up, brandishing flashlights.

"There's gotta be someone up here," one of the guys muttered, a figure in a business-looking suit. "I saw the door open outside."

"Come on," argued a guy in a skull cap. "It's probably just some kids looking for a thrill. Fire up the lights and they'll dash out right away."

"We  **can't** fire up the lights," reprimanded the suited man. "That's the whole reason this place is closed."

The skull-cap shook his head. "The emergency power hasn't been affected," he insisted. "It should last a couple minutes, that'll scare 'em out."

The third guy, wearing a baseball cap, clicked his tongue. "Can't. The sensei said not to use the e-power. Something about 'saving it for a special lesson'."

As the suit cursed, Luka reached for her Player Pin; the trio didn't have Noise clinging to them, but there was still an unpleasant vibe lingering around them. She quickly grasped Miku's shoulder. "Let's follow them on their way down," she whispered.

"You sure we can't just flick it on and off real quick?" the skull-cap demanded.

"I don't wanna risk him having set something up," the suit muttered. "Come on, let's get back."

The Players trailed as they made their way down the steps. "Get back? She's not gonna let us in again."

"Why not? We're paying customers."

"You didn't see that stink-eye she was giving us on our twelfth round."

"Ugh. I don't get that bitch. She's getting the same money anyways, why does she care where it comes from?"

"She's one of those idealists who wants things 'fair'."

"If she wanted things fair, she'd lower the A.I. on that one."

Luka started giggling as she realized they had been at the arcade across the square. They were arriving in the open area; and as the suit gave an angry groan, Luka could have sword the place  _shifted_ ; she and Miku came to a stop, glancing around as the men seemed to flicker, and a low, rumbling sound echoed through the area.

"Noise!?"

...The sound went quiet; the men continued on their way out, and Luka was left thinking.

Miku quickly pulled out her phone and started tapping a memo.  _The master is a Noise. It's here somewhere. It just won't react to a scan. We have to bait it out somehow._

"Those guys," Luka muttered. "The Noise come to upset sorts, right? If we can lure them back in here, maybe we can lure it out."

 _Where do you think we'll find the emergency power?_ Miku asked.

"Let's check down some of the hallways," Luka muttered, triggering her phone's screen to glance at her timer; they were down to 90 minutes. "I want to give this thing as much time as we can."

* * *

Soon enough, they did find a generator room; the main generator looked like someone had started an ill-advised kendo match in here, but a quick cast of light revealed the emergency generator was already plugged in, with what looked like a handwritten note taped to it.  _E-power requires ten minutes startup; activate in advance._

"Ten minutes," Luka muttered; her timer put them at 85. "Yeah, we've got plenty of time."

Miku quickly threw the switch, and the Players made their way back to the main room. By the time their timers read  _75_ , the lights shot up; the girls quickly pocketed their phones as the door flew open and the same trio from before charged in. "Someone  **is** here!" the suit roared. "I want you to  _drag_ them out here! He's gonna have our asse-"

The men flickered out; both girls raised their gazes to see a massive, elephantine figure fall from above, landing before then as they leapt out. Its body was a pale peach colour; its forelegs were replaced with blue Noise-signature waved lines, and its long trunk was crimson waves that formed a double-spiked blade at the end.

"Alright, then!" Luka called. "Let's make it suffer!"

She thrust her hand forward to start choking the Noise, and Miku lit her flame beneath it to cross it out. The Noise, however, was too heavy to be cast aside so easily; it slammed one foot hard to the ground, sending a wave of force that shook the battlefield and threw the two Players off-balance. Both psychs died out from their lack of focus; Miku recovered first, leaping back to put more space between her and the Noise before relighting her flame, and Luka promptly seized a nearby rack of shinai with her pin and slammed it into the Noise, stunning it slightly, before resuming her choke hold.

Soon enough, the stun faded out woolly noise managed to step forward, and Luka was unable to react before it slammed its trunk into her, sending her tumbling back. Miku promptly abandoned her flame and dashed to Luka's side; the pink-haired girl swung her hand out, seizing the rack again and slamming it into the Noise until it shattered. Miku saw that she was focused on the fight and resumed her flame, prompting a flash as Luka started choking it again; as she got to her feet, it managed to recover, sending another shockwave. This time, they both managed to keep their footing, although Luka's chokes faded out a bit; she grabbed one of the fallen shinai from the rack and jammed it into the Noise's eye.

That was enough to finish it off, and the Noise faded out.

The RG faded back in; the racks of shinai were untouched, and the men were still shouting at one another. A glance at their timers revealed they were off the clock, and the two Players quickly dashed out into Swordsman's Square, Luka limping slightly the whole way. "That could've gone better," she admitted.

'It could have gone worse,' Miku mouthed.

"Oh, damn, was that your mission?"

The voice from nearby drew their attention; a woman was standing outside the arcade with epic red hair in a wild ponytail. She had a longcoat on and open, revealing a low-cut top and what appeared to be a garterbelt over a pair of shorts; her Reaper wings were spread out wide behind her. "I owe Kokone some epic thanks."

Miku quickly took a defensive stance, expecting the Reaper to set a few Noise on them. 'Who-'

"Cool your jets, mutie," the Reaper insisted, raising a hand. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"What?" Luka stumbled. "You're Support?"

The Reaper scoffed. "Oh, hell no. Watching the walls with Azuki and Matcha? Not a chance." She shook her head. "No, I'm a Harrier. I'm just not in the mood to harry after that. You saved me a lot of trouble. And after last week, I don't really have to, anyways."

The Players both gave her confused looks.

An aggravated yell from the dojo drew their attention; the guy in the suit had stormed out looking pissed-off, and the Reaper pointed to him. "Those assholes have been hogging the most famous machines at my arcade. I was about to call in some muscle to have them thrown out, but I guess they were part of your mission. As soon as they were off, almost everyone else lined up their quarters and they didn't get the chance to get on."

"You run the arcade?" Luka asked, dumbfounded.

"Hey, we all gotta make a living in the RG, don't we?" the Reaper argued. "Kokone doesn't exactly hand off her charity proceeds to the Reaper collective." She beckoned to the name emblazoned over the door. "That's me, Revo Cul."

"Who's Kokone?" Luka asked.

Cul chuckled, shaking her head. "C'mon, she's been messaging you for four days now, hasn't she?"

Miku stumbled back, surprised.

"That's right. Kokone's this week's Game Master."

**Amnesia  
Chapter Closed**


	5. The 5th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Trying not to come up with new Noise because I just know that either the design or the name is going to sound stupid. I'm not gonna make any new Cantus, I'll say that right now.

"Oh, what the hell! This is so lazy!"

The tiny Reaper, Ryuto, was absolutely furious about learning the mission for Day 5 of Kokone's week. At his protest, a blue-haired Reaper sitting with him shook her head. "Use your head a little," she insisted. "A mission this easy, this late into the Game? What are the Players gonna think?"

Ryuto stopped his furious pacing, turning to her with an annoyed look. "They're gonna think something's up. They're gonna be on their guard. They're not  **stupid**."

His companion shook her head. "The mission, as written, is absolute. If they fulfill the terms, even temporarily, they complete the mission. How are they gonna suspect something?"

"...They  _will_."

"C'mon," she insisted, hopping off her seat. "Any second now, Kokone or Gakupo or Gumi is gonna ring us, and give us orders to lay an ambush, or give 'em a wakeup call with a Popguin, or fill the plaza with Grizzlies."

Ryuto opened his mouth to protest, and both of their phones went off - not calls, but messages. "Oh, speak of the devil," he muttered, reaching into his pocket. "That's what I get for doubting you, I guess." He drew his device out and opened the message up.

"... _ **What**_."

* * *

The sound of wind howled in Luka's ears as she woke up; opening her eyes proceeded to concern her as she realized that she could see no buildings around her. She shot upright and found herself looking  _down_ on DIVA District, and she quickly scrambled away from the edge, bumping into a still-waking Miku as she did.

"M-Morning," she gasped as Miku got up. "Who's idea was it to put us on top of 39?"

Miku winced as though pained, reaching a hand for her head. When Luka raised a hand to help her, she waved it off, drawing out her phone. She was halfway through a memo went it went off; their message for today had arrived.

 _Mission: Reach the Garden of the White Knight_  
_No time limit._  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"No time limit?" Luka echoed. "And we just need to walk to the Garden? It's like ten minutes from the plaza."

Miku cleared her memo and started typing again.  _Just because it's simple doesn't mean its easy. Bet you anything they've got a trick up their sleeves._

Luka sighed. "Good point," she admitted.

_Don't suppose you'd let me do some shopping before we go? Azuki said 39 was Game-accessible._

"Why would I stop you?" Luka asked. "There's no time limit."

Miku beamed at her and started towards the elevator, Luka following behind.

* * *

After an unpleasant discovery that nothing was on sale except some rather risqué selections that explained Azuki's challenge the previous day, the two emerged in the plaza and started towards the Garden of the White Knight, between Cybernation Plaza and Rouge Square. Somewhat annoyingly, the accesses to I_O Walk and Amaretto were blocked off; the Players made their way onto Aqua Street and continued onto Amaretto, more than willing to take their time.

That didn't mean they were being careless; both of them could agree that there was something  _suspicious_ going on today, and as they arrived at the Garden of the White Knight, they both had their pins at the ready and their eyes to and fro. The Garden was a rather quaint area, set up to be evocative of a natural park; a river that ran under Diola was open, here, and the Garden was largely built around it.

Luka sighed, glancing at her palm. "You know, the annoying thing about a mission with no time limit is that you don't really know when it's complete."

"Oh, you're complete, all right."

The Players started as that familiar voice echoed around them - the same voice that had taunted them on Day 1 - and they turned to find the minute Reaper standing there, dressed in green. At his side was a taller, but still youthful, Reaper with long hair in twintails; it was mostly blue, but there were a few yellow streaks in her bangs, and the tails quickly gradiated to a voltic yellow at the ends, held in place by bands with protrusions like lightning bolts. Her blue eyes also seemed to have a few flecks of yellow in them, a musical note was painted on one cheek, and a large, eel-like hat with a thunderbolt emblazoned on it sat atop her head, its eyes narrow and its mouth with teeth clenched. She wore a black jacket with yellow trim, a dark red tie with a yellow lightning bolt, and a white skirt half-hidden by a yellow sash on her right side. The sleeves of her jacket were of the open-able variety, and she had each undone around the shoulder and then fully open past the elbow; one leg had a fishnet stocking, and the other a pink piano pattern.

"But this is where the fun starts." The little Reaper swept his hands out to the side. "Bring 'em in, Una!"

The eel-hat Reaper had a microphone gripped in one hand; she bashed the head against her hand, and as it screeched, Noise sigils seemed to rise up around her. From the largest dropped a massive black rhinoceros, with its tail and horns replaced by orange waves; grey wolves leapt out of two more, growling as they landed, and a green mink flew out of the last one, leering at them menacingly.

Miku quickly saw that they'd be best off dealing with the rhino  _last_ \- it was huge, slow, and didn't make the kind of tremors the mammoth in Swordsman's Square had. She quickly lit her flame beneath one of the wolves, and as the other tried to pounce on her, Luka seized it with her pin to choke it. Wondering if she could move their enemies around the way she could her surroundings, she made to strike the wolf Miku was burning - and though she didn't deliver any sort of  _impact_ , she was able to move it into the flames, letting them cross it out. The mink hurled a projectile at them, causing them to leap aside; the wolf tried to use the opening and charge Luka, and was crossed out in short order.

The rhino was slowly advancing towards them; the duo quickly dashed towards it, and when it tried to gore Luka on its horn, she leapt aside, leaving them to rush the mink. A flame was lit beneath it, and Luka seized it, its serpentine body being much lighter than a wolf's - and allowing her to deal some actual impact as she slammed it into the back of the rhino. Miku joined it with her flame, and when the mink faded out Luka turned her pin's hold on the rhino - which was heavy enough to stop her from dragging it, but not enough to move while she was choking it.

Soon enough, the Players were alone in the Garden with the Reapers; they quickly turned around as the eel-hat, Una, lowered her microphone. "Ooh, you got lucky with your pins, didn't you?"

"Guess so," Luka muttered.

"Your turn, Ryuto."

The tiny Reaper, Ryuto, swept his hands out again, and this time brought them forward in a heavy  _clap_. A swarm of five Noise sigils appeared before him, from which emerged great-winged ravens, their heads and several of their feathers formed from blue waves. Miku and Luka prepared to attack them...

Gunfire.

The rapid blasting of a single heavy-caliber weapon burst through the air, and both Reapers reached up to cover their ears as one of the ravens twisted in the air, fading out after seven shots. Another raven made to swoop at Miku and Luka, only to writhe as the gunfire sounded again. Seven shots took it out as well; when the shots rang out again, they seemed twice as loud as two more ravens tumbled, each fading out at seven shots; the last one seemed to try to fly away, only for seven more shots to take it out as well.

"That's enough of that."

Una pulled her hands away from her ears, turning round. "Akita!?"

Standing behind her and Ryuto was a girl with long blonde hair in a single sidetail; piercing yellow eyes were locked on the two Reapers. She had a dull grey vest with a bright yellow tie, and a pair of long black detached sleeves; a short black skirt with yellow trim bared legs covered by tall black boots, and a pair of small, black Reaper wings emerged from her back. In either hand was a heavy, large-caliber, break-open pistol; the weapon in her left hand was black and blue, with a grey diamond hanging on a chain from the butt, while her right-hand weapon was black and red, with a gold cross on a similar chain.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded. "You were ordered to-"

"Those orders are bullshit!" Ryuto snapped. "Like hell am I gonna sit back and do nothing when there's a  **zero** chance the mission's gonna erase anyone!"

Luka blinked. "Sit back and-?"

"Kokone told you to remain on standby," the blonde reprimanded.

"Oh,  _Kokone!_ " Una groaned. "I swear she's not even  _trying_ to get them erased! She's gone soft!"

The blonde raised her red pistol at Una. "Soft or not, she ordered you to _stand by_ ," she snapped. "You being here at all is defying orders."

Una smirked. "Orders from up top override orders from the GM," she reprimanded. "You erase me, you're gonna be on a platter."

"You think I wouldn't get notified if you got orders from up top?" the blonde retorted. "I've sent the report in already. Get out of here before I save her the trouble."

"You don't have that kind of-"

Ryuto couldn't finish before the blonde turned her gun on him and pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into the tip of his wing, and the tiny Reaper  _screamed_ , twisting towards the impact and falling to his knees. Una dashed up to his side, and the blonde raised her blue pistol towards them both.

"Go back to the Pad," she snapped. Then, when Una made to protest; "You have thirty minutes." Her gun clicked lightly as she set her finger on the trigger. "Fail, and face erasure."

Una bit her lip; then she helped Ryuto to his feet, and the two of them took off.

The blonde sighed, shoving her pistols barrel-first into pockets in her vest - they barely got half in, but vanished as soon as she released the handles. "Sorry about that," she told the Players, stepping forward. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine," Luka insisted. "What was what about? Who are you? Are you a... watcher, like Haku?"

"Not the same way," the blonde replied. "Name's Akita Neru. I'm an enforcer among the Reapers. If they try to defy the orders set by the GM, its my job to stop them - and if I can't stop them, I shoot them down."

Miku had her phone out and was tapping away at a memo; she held the device out to show the enforcer.  _Haku mentioned you. Said you wanted her to keep her eyes open._

Neru nodded. "Yeah. With what's going on in the UG, I don't want any of the more... ballsy Reapers getting any ideas. She can't do much more than watch... but an extra pair of eyes always helps.

'What?' Miku mouthed.

"What do you mean, she can't do more than watch?" Luka asked.

"Haku is... a bit of an enigma," Neru admitted. "I can't really tell you much about the situation because _none of us_ quite understand the details, but long story short, she's powerless out here. Still, she doesn't want this place wrecked any more than we do, so I asked her to help my watch and she agreed."

"Fair enough."

 _You said the Game Master put them on standby_ , Miku tapped out.  _Why would she give us such an easy mission?_

Neru shook her head. "I can't tell you."

'Can't or won't?' Miku mouthed.

"Well, I  **won't** tell you," Neru admitted. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Both of the Players were caught off-guard by that.

"Day 7 of every Game is the only day when a Reaper is allowed to attack Players directly - specifically, the GM. And every GM **tries** to make an appearance before then, so the Players know who they're dealing with. If you haven't met her yet, I bet you any selection in 39 that you'll meet her tomorrow."

"I'm not taking that," Luka reprimanded.

"Fair enough." Neru started out of the Garden. "Well, I'd better follow those two back to the Pad. Here's hoping I don't have to see you again!"

Miku giggled silently, knowing that any other person would have said that and made it offensive, but the enforcer meant it only as a pleasant farewell.

**Annihilator  
Chapter Closed**


	6. The 6th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Anybody catch my Bayonetta reference last chapter? Neru's pistols - one out of Scarborough Fair, one out of Love is Blue.

Strikes rang out from atop a building high in DIVA District.

Ryuto hit the rooftop roughly, bleeding from the mouth. Una, already on the floor, tried to get up and was quickly struck between the wings, knocking her back down. Gakupo stood above them, brandishing a long wooden sword - he'd been at this for an hour, now, punishing them for their insubordination. Ryuto tried to rise again, and as the Conductor raised his weapon a voice called from behind him.

"That's enough."

Una raised her gaze weakly as Gakupo turned; Gumi was standing there, a glare on her face. As she stepped forward, Gakupo tried to protest. "Composer-"

"You've punished them enough," Gumi insisted. "Kokone said not to erase them." Then, turning down to the Reapers; "You're lucky Neru stopped you before you did anything unpleasant."

"Would you- ugh!" Ryuto groaned as he got to his feet. "Would you at least tell us what this damned judgement is if you're going to keep up this kind of bullshit?" he demanded.

Gumi turned to Gakupo. "One more."

Gakupo brought his wooden blade down on Ryuto's wing, drawing a pained shout; then he swept it to the side, and the wood cracked, crumbling away to bare the steel katana beneath.

"The judgement doesn't have anything to do with it," Gumi insisted. "You broke the rules. If you specifically defy the GM's orders without instruction from me or Gakupo, you get punished. Did you think that was gonna change because of this thing?"

Ryuto groaned. "...You know, I think I did."

"You think you did?" Gumi echoed. "Well, you think you thought  _wrong_. If I catch you pulling this kind of stunt again, I'm gonna feed you to a Canor."

"That sounds fair," Una murmured.

* * *

Waking up the next morning found Luka and Miku on Pain Crave Bridge again. The construction seemed to have made some impressive progress when they woke; Luka gave them a quick scan and found the Noise keeping well away from them.

"Guess one mission did the trick," Luka observed.

Miku nodded, getting to her feet. 'Anyone around?' she mouthed.

"Not yet," Luka mused. "I hope Neru wasn't kidding about-"

She fell quiet when their phones went off; they pulled out their devices and checked the message.

 _Mission: Clear the tasks from Support between Rouge Square and Cybernation Plaza_  
_You have 100 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Again with the easy missions," Luka murmured. "Why would the Game Master give us something so easy?"

Miku opened a memo and was about to start tapping when their phones went off again.

_P.S. - Sorry about the rogues from yesterday.  
_

'Rogues', Miku mouthed. She seemed surprised that Ryuto and Una  **had** , in fact, been going against orders.

A spark of pain in their hands cued their timers appearing, and Luka sighed. "Right, then," she mused. "Better get going."

* * *

Matcha was blocking their way  **into** Rouge Square with the same terms as Day 4 - a pack of Noise that they weren't allowed to cross out.

 _Not one for variety, are you?_ Miku tapped for her after the Noise had been erased.

"Well, you've still got three more to get through," Matcha replied. "I figured I'd keep things simple for the first one. Wall clear."

She pulled off the barrier as it faded, and the duo continued through into Rouge Square. To Luka's dismay, Azuki was waiting for them at the entrance to  _Aqua_ Street; I_O Walk had a barrier and no Support to watch it.

"Sorry," Azuki apologized, "but the GM said your route's through Tengaku."

"What's your task?" Luka asked.

A loud growl from the Reaper's stomach answered before she could. "I'm craving something sweet," she admitted, pointing to one of the shops nearby - a confectionery that seemed to be titled  _Galaxias._  "Grab me something from Galaco's place and I'll let you through."

The Players both gave her unimpressed looks.

"I'm hungry!" Azuki defended.

With a silent sigh, Miku started towards the sweets shop that she had pointed out, Luka following behind her. The Reaper skull emblazoned on the window told them they'd be getting this with their coins; stepping inside rang a small bell hung over the door, and although the counter was empty, a voice from around a corner called, "Just a minute!"

Luka blinked. "I know that voice," she murmured.

'So do I,' Miku mouthed.

A girl with hair that carried streaks of many colours emerged from around the corner, and she seemed just as surprised to see them as they were to see her. "Hatsune? Megurine?"

"You're the Reaper I met before the Game started," Luka observed. "You run this place?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm Neo Galaco." Then; "Sorry, you've probably got a mission running. What can I get you?"

"Something Azuki would like," Luka replied.

Galaco rolled her eyes as she reached for something in the counter display. "I keep telling her to have a proper meal before she sets up. Or at least bring something with her. It's not healthy for her to just have Players grab whatever's convenient."

She sold them a long bar of minty flavour she called a  _Stardust_ ; they quickly made their way back to Azuki and handed it over to her. "Thanks so much. Wall clear."

* * *

An unpleasant surprise awaited them at Tengaku Square - Una was pacing across the access to Parallel Circuit, running her hand along a wall set up there. She'd traded out her black and yellow for a blue tee with white and gold patterns down the front; the note on her cheek and the  yellow streaks in her hair were gone, and around the tips of her tails the hair faded to white and bound with bright bows.

"Hello again," she said awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" Luka demanded.

Una sighed. "Kokone had our asses kicked," she sighed. "Me and Ryuto get Support duties today."

Miku laughed silently. At the Reaper's confused look, she quickly drew out her phone and tapped out a memo.  _So today's 'mission' is just us helping with your punishment?_

"Yeah, I guess so," Una agreed. "I don't find it too bad, a little boring maybe. But Ryuto's gotta be throwing a temper tantrum at Cybernation."

"What's got that kid so violent?" Luka murmured.

" _That kid_ has been a Reaper for thirty years," Una reprimanded.

Both of the Players' mouths dropped open.

"Oh, yeah," Una insisted. "You don't age in the UG. We try to never let someone be dead longer than a couple months before we start a Game or the RG is gonna have left any winners behind." She shook her head. "Anyways, your task. Take a scan, you'll see a few clingy Noise. Take 'em out and I'll let you through."

* * *

As she had predicted, Ryuto was in a foul mood when the Players arrived at the entrance to Cybernation Plaza. "Oh, look what the Cantus dragged in," he spat.

"Give us something to do, kid," Luka spat.

"Oh, you want something to do?" the tiny Reaper snapped. "Why don't you kiss my-"

" **Ryuto.** "

A female voice nearby causing Ryuto to flinch; he, Luka, and Miku all turned to see a woman standing on the other side of the wall behind him. She was dressed in a blue skirt and a white top with detached, uneven sleeves; one covered half of her upper arm and her entire forearm, whilst the other was little more than a wrapping around her wrist. Her hair was a subtle gradient; brown at the root, but transitioning to a bright red at the tips. Her green eyes were locked on Ryuto, and she had a most displeased expression on her face; she was standing at the edge of a building, but a hint of black told the Players her Reaper wings were just out of sight.

With a sigh, Ryuto turned to the Players. "Alright," he muttered, "I'll just give you the birds you missed yesterday and we'll call it even."

"The ones Neru shot up?" Luka asked. "Sure, bring it on."

Ryuto struck his hands together in a half-hearted clap, and the same swarm of five Noise sigils appeared as he'd invoked yesterday. The Reapers faded out as the ravens emerged, and Luka and Miku took ready stances. One tried to swoop forward, but Luka seized it and dragged it to the ground as Miku blazed it with her flames. The others started to circle them, and one dropped forward; Luka took a glancing blow when she tried to evade, and as Miku finished the first raven, Luka made to seize the next.

It showed no reaction.

Luka glanced down, worried why her pin wasn't working - but her pin was  **gone** , the only thing on her shirt was her Player Pin. A quick scan of the ravens revealed that one of them had her  _Eternal White_ clutched in its talons - as Miku lit her flame again, Luka quicky aimed at the thief. "That one!" she cried. "Get that one! It's got my pin!"

Miku directed her flame to wash over the thieving raven; the bird flew away from the flame, but not before dropping the stolen psych. Luka quickly charged forward, and Miku guarded her with fire as she seized her Pin again. Another bird trying to blindside Miku was quickly choked and dragged away, and they dealt with the rest of the Noise the same way - Luka on the defensive, Miku on the offense. They managed to avoid losing their Pins to the rest of the flock before the last Noise was erased; the Reapers faded back in, and the Players turned round to Ryuto.

'Had enough?' Miku mouthed.

Ryuto shot the other Reaper a pleading glance, and when he received no objection he shook his head. "Had enough," he ceded. "Wall clear." He pounded one fist against the barrier, and it faded out before he took off into Cybernation Plaza.

The brunette Reaper stepped out - revealing a pair of positively _diminutive_ wings - and Luka narrowed her gaze. "You wouldn't happen to be Kokone, would you?" she asked.

"I would indeed," the Reaper- Kokone confirmed. "And I am Game Master for this session."

"So, what was the deal with yesterday?" Luka demanded. "You give us an easy mission, tell all the Reapers to back off, and set up a few walls so we take the scenic route... what for? What does that earn you?"

Kokone shook her head. "Why are you complaining?" she inquired. "I would think the Players would be grateful for an easy mission."

Luka shook her head. "Well, considering what Haku said about Harriers getting erased if they don't erase **us** , I'm not a hundred percent sure why you'd tell them all to back off."

"No Harrier in DIVA is at any serious risk of being condemned to erasure," Kokone insisted. "Last week saw to that."

Miku drew out her phone and tapped a memo for the Reaper.  _Cul mentioned something about that, too. What happened last week?_

"Last week was a Player Hunt of unforseen proportions," Kokone replied. "Every Reaper in the UG had enough score to last them twenty Games."

 _Players are people who have died here, right?_ Miku tapped.  _Nowhere in Diola has that kind of death rate._

Kokone shook her head. "It was a special case," she admitted. "Have you two heard about the tragedy on the coast?"

Luka was caught off-guard by that. "You don't mean Utau City? That tsunami?"

"That's the one," Kokone confirmed. "They had a UG, too. But there's not even an Utau City anymore. The entire town was washed away. It took out everything - RG, UG, Reapers, Players, civilians, everyone. The dead from that city ended up entering a Reaper's Game here... and we were put on a Player Hunt." She didn't sound too pleased about it. "It's only the second time a GM in DIVA has earned 100% erasure."

"Then... why are the Harriers after our blood?" Luka asked.

"Because it's a novelty," Kokone replied. "A Game with only two Players? It's erase or zero. If anyone erases  _either_ of you, they get to claim credit for single-handedly giving the GM 100% erasure. And apparently, that's going to be happening for a while - small numbers of Players like this. They've gotten a little bloodthirsty."

Miku showed another memo.  _That still doesn't explain why you gave us such an easy mission yesterday_.

Kokone sighed, looking up to Miku. "I want to give you a chance," she insisted. "I want you to survive until the seventh day."

'What?' Miku mouthed.

"Why do you want us to survive?" Luka demanded. "You're a Reaper."

"I think, Megurine," Kokone reprimanded, "that you've taken to painting us all with the same brush. Not every Reaper is a glory-seeking beast. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow... but I've accepted the stigma of Game Master."

She stepped back. "And so, I'll see you then."

**7days  
Chapter Closed**


	7. The 7th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> It really shouldn't annoy me so much, but none of the Project DIVA games give Meiko a module for her military Senbonzakura outfit.

Luka found herself and Miku in the Garden of the White Knight at the start of the seventh day; they were lying by the river, and Luka was quick to approach the water's edge and splash her face in an effort to invigorate herself. "Day 7," she told her reflection in the water. "I survive today, and I get my life back. I survive... and I get to know what happened to me. Today, it ends."

A movement behind her told her that Miku was starting to rise; Luka turned to face her. "Morning," she greeted.

'Morning,' Miku mouthed, looking amused.

"Give yourself a splash," Luka advised, knowing what the smile was for, "it'll help get you going."

Their phones went off as Miku was doing just that; Luka quickly drew hers out and checked the message.

 _Mission: The Game Master performs to a soundless rhythm. Defeat her._  
_You have 6000 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers._

"Six **thousand**?" Luka exclaimed.

Her phone quickly went off again with another message.  _*600 minutes. Sorry._

Luka chuckled at the fact that the Reapers had made a typo. "Okay, that's a little more reasonable."

A sharp jolt of pain cued their timers appearing. Miku quickly opened up a memo and started tapping.  _That didn't seem like it came from Kokone. I thought the GM sent the missions?_

"Remember what Neru said?" Luka reminded her. "Day 7 means the Game Master can attack Players directly. And Una said something about an 'up top' that overruled the GM. This must've come from them. I guess this is an ultimatum. Erase all the Players, or you get erased yourself." She shook her head. "The mission's some kind of riddle. What's the 'soundless rhythm'?"

 _Between Cybernation Plaza and Ashes Square_ , Miku tapped out _. It's called 'Silent Beat Alleyway'. There's a concert venue in there._

"Performing," Luka realized. "She must be there. Let's go."

* * *

There weren't even any walls up between the Garden and Cybernation Plaza; the Players had a straight line to the Game Master. As they arrived at Silent Beat Alleyway, they were concerned to see Avex Lily standing at the entrance to the concert stage, leaning against her motorbike (which was still running).

"Hey," she greeted. "You here for the GM?"

"Are you gonna stop us?" Luka demanded.

Lily sighed, shaking her head. "You know. A fan from the RG shows up in the Game, she makes it to Day 7, and I'd mark you as a survivor. Thought I'd give you a little something to remember me by."

She reached into her pocket and tossed something to Luka, who caught it clumsily. It was a pin, with Lily's stunt-performance calling card - crossbones laid over a flower - emblazoned on it.

"Show off to your friends for me, will you?"

The Reaper mounted her bike, raised her wings straight-back behind her, and took off.

Miku and Luka exchanged confused glances; then Luka pocketed the pin, and the two started into the concert stage. Three stage lights were lit, cast not on the stage but the audience's floor, and Kokone stood there, waiting.

"Welcome, Players."

Luka stepped forward. "Can I ask you just one question before we do this?"

Kokone nodded. "Certainly."

"You said Game Master was... a stigma," Luka recalled. "What did you mean by that? You're in charge of the Reaper's Game, I thought that would be an honour."

"Many Reapers think so," Kokone admitted. "But I have been a Reaper for longer than any other. I see the position for what it is - a death sentence, at least in DIVA." She parted her hands before her. "Several of my friends have been Game Masters. They accepted the position believing they could succeed where their predecessors had failed. Each was erased just as the ones before them. Only one Game Master has survived the assignment. Two, if you count the Player Hunt last week." Then, closing her eyes; "And... none of us really do count last week."

"...What made last week so special?"

* * *

_"Conductor."_

_The Reapers had been called to a meeting, and Gakupo had seemed to make a point of not arriving until Una (who had been on Pain Crave Bridge when the call went ount) had finally stumbled into the room. After everyone had acknowledge his presence, Lily spoke up. "So what's up, Gaku?" she asked. "New Game about to start, or something? You need to introduce us to the GM?"_

_"I'm afraid I can't tell you," Gakupo replied. "That would be **her** purview."_

_He stepped aside to revealed a green-haired Reaper standing there. After a moment, Ryuto spoke up. "So who's this bitch?" he demanded._

_Kokone glared at him. "Shut your mouth, 'this bitch' is the Composer."_

_The room went **silent** ; Ryuto was stuttering, his voice strangled and panicky as he glanced between Kokone, Gakupo, and this unfamiliar figure before he aimed a finger at her. "Prove it!" he demanded._

_The green-haired figure snapped her fingers._

_A bloodcurdling scream broke out of Ryuto's lips, causing the congregation to pull back as he fell to his knees. Una screamed his name and tried to dash forward, but Galaco held her back as he started to writhe._

_"Do you believe me now?" the Composer asked._

_" **YES!** "_

_Her fingers hadn't moved after the snap had completed; now she curled her index finger in, and Ryuto fell forward, collapsing on the ground and panting in pain. Una quickly dashed up to his side, worriedly helping him to his feet as everyone turned to the Composer._

_"My name is Naka Gumi," she introduced. "I know most of you are new to knowing who the Composer is, so I'll try keep this brief. Have you all heard about the devastation at Utau City?"_

_A collection of 'yes'es and quiet nods._

_"Utau also had a UG," Gumi explained. "But in the aftermath of the tsunami, there's no city for the UG to exist in anymore. The Players have to go somewhere, and so they've come here. We'll begin the Game in three day's time - but this won't be a normal Game. Will it, Galaco?"_

_Everyone turned to Galaco, who seemed concerned. "I... I don't understand what you mean."_

_Gumi shook her head. "You inducted the Players. Did you not notice anything... off about them?"_

_"...I did, yes." Galaco sounded worried._

_"What happened?" Cul asked. "What was different?"_

_With a flourish, Gumi raised her hand before her. "Why don't I show you all."_

_In a surge of colour, the room seemed to fade out; the Reapers stood in a void in which the Players of the unbegun Game seemed to be dispersed. Every Reaper had the same power of empathy bestowed by the Player Pins; and every Player felt the same thing. Cul grasped her ears in terror; Lily set a hand upon her head; Una cried out and fell to the ground, dragging Ryuto with her. Galaco, who had seen this all firsthand, dropped to her knees at the cumulative effect; even Gakupo stumbled, caught off-guard. "This is..."  
_

_"Sorrow," Kokone mused. "These players are... consumed by sadness. They... they want to die."_

_"They **have** died," Galaco corrected. "They want to be erased."_

_Gumi swept her hand up, and the void of Players vanished. After a long moment, the Reapers managed to recover, and she spoke again. "The Composer has absolute control over the rules of the Game," she reminded them. "For this Game only, I am lifting the ban on direct attack. These Players want erasure, and I invite you to give it to them. I've assigned Gakupo as Game Master, by proxy. The erasure rate for this Game is null and void."_

* * *

"Last week, the Players made no effort to defend themselves," Kokone replied. "The only reason it took us seven days to erase them all is because of how large Utau City was. They would have taken their own lives if there was any way for a Player to do that."

She turned to them. "We've spoken long enough. Your mission is to erase me, and I promised my friends I would not join them without a fight."

"That sounds fair," Luka admitted. "How do we go about this?"

Kokone crossed her arms briefly in an  _X_ before her, and then lashed them out to the sides as her wings raised. A sudden surge of wind burst out from before her, throwing her hair back and causing Luka and Miku to wince at the gale; a shifting sensation crossed them, like civilians vanishing when the Players found an opponent. The Reaper held her right arm across herself, reaching to the left, and lines like those that formed parts of Noise raced across her skin; when she swept the arm to the side, her wings seemed to gleam in a way that the light oughtn't have let them.

Miku acted quickly; she thrust her hand out, and Kokone leapt back as a flame began to ignite where she had been. Luka quickly tried to seize her as she landed, and a pulse rose up around her neck; but Kokone only slapped the sides of her collar, and Luka felt her arm thrown aside. The Game Master swung her left hand forward, and a wave of force surged through the air, flying towards Luka.

She ducked under the blow as Miku directed her flame to the Game Master's feet; a flick of the Reaper's right hand seemed to rip a chunk out of the floor of the venue, and another flick sent it flying towards the mute Player. Luka quickly found she could seize it with her pin; it ground against the floor in an effort to stop it faster, and once Miku was safe, Luka hurled it back the way it had come.

The projectile shattered against Kokone's crossed arms as Miku continued to burn at her feet; Luka quickly seized her neck again, choking her and causing her to flash between pulses. The Reaper slapped at her neck again, throwing Luka's arm aside, and she lashed her foot skyward in a split-kick, launching a shockwave across the ground that had the Players leaping aside.

 _I can't keep a hold on her. I gotta find something else..._ Luka's gaze dashed about the venue as Miku relit her flame - and her gaze fell upon the hanging stage lights.  _I wonder..._

She raised her hand towards one light, and she saw the bulb flicker. A solid swing of her arm tore the light from its supports, leaving the wires sparking as it dropped towards Kokone; the Game Master barely managed to avoid getting crushed, and Luka dragged her new weapon into a swing that slammed into her shoulder and left her reeling. Miku's flame continued to blaze at her feet; experimentally, Luka tried to choke her  _and_ hold onto the light, only to find the structure falling to the ground.

This time, when Kokone tried to stop her attack, Luka released it for just a moment; then a thought occurred to her, and as Kokone tried to swing with her left hand, Luka made to seize that instead. The pulses rose up around her wrist; Kokone tried to strike at the point it was seizing her, and Luka released it, grabbing her other wrist and throwing her into a spin. She proceeded to grab Kokone by the ankle, tripping her up and throwing her whole body into Miku's flame; then Luka grabbed another stage light and ripped it from the ceiling, bringing it to the ground.

The Game Master managed to get head out from under the light, only to have her legs trapped under it; and as she fell to the ground, her hands fell open before her.

And the Players saw a streak of crimson across her left.

Miku's flame went out as she stumbled at the sight; Luka, who had been about to seize the last light and bring it down, cried out in confusion. "That's... a timer!?"

Kokone closed her hand into a fist, but the damage was done. She laughed weakly, and the tattooed waves on her arms faded out; the light was forced off her legs, and she started to rise. "Looks like I'm almost up," she murmured.

"Why does a Reaper have a timer?!" Luka demanded. "Why does the  _Game Master_ have a timer!?"

"This is the Game Master's stigma," Kokone insisted, weakly getting to her feet. "I had... seven days to erase all the Players in this Game. And I've failed. I've put up my fight, and you two are stronger than I could ever hope to be, after how long I've stagnated in the Underground." She shook her head. "I cede. This Game is over. You win."

The last light went out, and neither Player could react before it separated from the ceiling.

"I'm coming, Chika."

Luka thrust her hand forth to stop it, but her pin refused to act; the light crashed to the floor, and Luka and Miku were left standing in the venue, listening to the silent beat.

** World's End Dancehall  
** **Chapter Closed**


	8. The Next Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You know, TWEWY kinda glosses over what happens in the RG when somebody enters the Player's Game. And what happens afterwards.

_"Tragedy has struck in the District for Imaginative and Vocal Attitudes of the city of Diola. Sanitation crew for the 39 Building discovered a suicide note from Hatsune Miku, age 19, in the building's rooftop court yesterday morning. Hatsune is known as the lead vocalist for DIVA District's popular indie band, Glory Music. The contents of the note have not been disclosed, but police have determined that no trace of a human body has been found in the plaza surrounding 39, thus ruling out the possibility of Hatsune's suicide from the rooftop. A search is ongoing throughout Diola in an attempt to find Hatsune. Police stress that in the absence of a body, it is possible that Hatsune is still alive and must be found as soon as possible. If anyone should discover clues as to her whereabouts, please contact the Diola police department at-"_

_The news report was white noise in her ears; Luka had been informed of the discovery of the note this time yesterday. Her mind had been numbed; she could not comprehend Miku being willing to kill herself, being willing to throw herself from that building. But Miku had never been one to do things by halves - if she had written a suicide note, there was no chance of finding her alive._

_And Luka did not mean to stand in this world without her._

_Miku was everything. She had found Luka's solitude in high school and had pulled her from her shell. She had made friends, and those friends had made a band, and that band had become famous in DIVA District. Glory Music had Miku at its heart - and without Miku, she could not stand upon a stage, she could never sing with any joy in her voice. Joy was not something she could express falsely._

_She didn't mean to._

_Upon Pain Crave Bridge, she found her place. A weakness in the bridge's fence barrier, nearly at the end exiting DIVA District, had long gone unnoticed. Now, uncaring of who saw her, who tried to speak to her, she pried the fencing open, tearing a gap great enough for her to pass through it. The river ran below... but anyone would know better than to assume it would save her from this height._

_"Miku... I'm coming."_

* * *

Two figures sat in a café in the 39 Building. At a glance, one would swear they were identical - the same height, the same colour scheme in their clothes, the same blonde hair. But they were rather well-known in the District for Imaginative and Vocal Attitudes, and nobody who knew of Kagamine Rin and Len would mistake them for anyone else.

The twins were waiting for their friends to show up; they had agreed to meet here for a discussion that they had been putting off for nearly a week now. With hot chocolates in hand, they took silent turns keeping an eye on the café entrance - and it was Len who had his eye on the entrance when they saw someone who was decidedly  _not_ the friend they were looking for.

" **Luka!?** "

Rin whirled around at his exclamation. Megurine Luka was indeed standing there, and at Len's exclamation she approached them. "Hey," she greeted awkwardly.

"Luka," Rin echoed. "You're...?"

"...Yeah," Luka confirmed. "I am."

"But-!" Len shook his head. "But... you couldn't! It was on the news! You tore a hole in Pain Crave Bridge! You jumped off! There were seven witnesses!"

"It's a long story," Luka insisted. "Where are Meiko and Kaito?"

"They were gonna meet us here," Rin replied, checking the clock nearby. "They're late. Look, tell us what happened!"

Someone stepped inside; the trio turned to find Sakine Meiko stepping in. There were tears streaking down her face as she stumbled in, gazing around the area - but her expression turned from one of sorrow to one of shock when she saw Luka standing there. "What...?"

The Kagamine twins got to their feet, and the trio approached her. "What happened?" Rin asked.

"You're... Luka," Meiko gasped.

"Yeah, I am," Luka said again.

Meiko stumbled back. "No, you can't be. Luka's dead. You're not Luka."

"Would 'not Luka' know about your personal sake stash in high school?" Luka argued.

"She would if she spoke to the teachers who confiscated it before grad," Meiko countered.

Luka shrugged. "Okay, would 'not Luka' know about your favourite salted caramel and mint chocolate combo from Cryptic Confectionery?"

"Everyone who works at Cryptic Confectionery knows about my combo." There was an adamant tone to Meiko's voice.

"What about your collection of silver dil-"

Meiko slammed a hand to her mouth before she could finish. "Oh my god you're Luka."

"Yh fn," Luka murmured into her palm.

Len grabbed Meiko's arm and dragged her hand away. "Collection of silver _what_?" he asked with a grin on his face.

Rin slapped him as Luka shook her head. "We need to talk," she insisted. "Where's Kaito?"

The sorrow returned to Meiko's face. "Kaito... isn't coming."

* * *

Honki Kaito had been found dead that very morning. A shipping container for frozen goods, being moved by crane on Aqua Street, had fallen on him. By some hellish miracle, he hadn't been crushed, but trapped within the container - which had been jammed between two buildings. The time of death was unclear, but the fact remained that Kaito was dead.

And, as Luka reported, a Player.

"The Reaper's Game..." The four friends had gathered at Meiko's apartment in Rouge Square. After hearing Luka's report, she was incredulous. "I can't believe it. People found dead, and then suddenly appearing again? It's never happened before. You said they've never taken out everybody, someone _has_ to have come back."

"But..." Rin sounded hesitant. "This is gonna sound stupid. When Luka showed up, at the café, I... I mean, I  _knew_ she'd been dead. I saw it on the news, it was on the school blog, everything. But it's been... what, an hour? Not even an hour. I remember seeing the news report, but I can't picture it. I can't remember the caster saying anything about it. I remember reading the blog post, but I can't remember what they mentioned about her."

"It must be them," Luka mused. "The memories are starting to fade out. This time next week, you're not going to remember hearing it at all. Records are going to be altered. My rent for the week has probably been paid out of my account and the landlord's not even gonna realize I was gone. I mean..." She sighed. "If someone survives the efforts of how many Reapers trying to kill them, why give them a scene?"

Meiko sighed. "You said Miku was there. She was in the Game, too. She was dead."

Luka nodded. "She was. Me and her were the only two Players." She scoffed. "I didn't even recognize her. I don't know what was wrong with me."

"You said they had to take something from you?" Len mused. "Some kind of entry fee? That must have been it."

"Each Player has to give up what they value most," Luka recited. She buried her face in her hands. "Miku. They took my memories of Miku as my entry fee.  **That's** why I didn't remember why I killed myself! I was thinking about Miku the whole walk down the bridge, but I didn't have anything of her on me. I just... ugh."

"But she didn't recognize you, either?" Meiko argued. "It couldn't have been just your memories."

Len hummed. "Maybe... it was your friendship with her?" he offered.

Luka pulled her face out. "That might be it, yeah," she admitted. "I mean, Miku's the whole reason I know you guys. Without her, I'd've been a loner all through high school."

Rin spoke up. "So, if anyone who dies in DIVA District enters the Reaper's Game..."

Meiko gasped. "Kaito! He'll be in the Game! If he survives, he'll come back, too!"

"Wait," Len insisted. "What about Miku? She was a Player too, right? Did she come back?"

"...They wouldn't," Luka murmured. "They wouldn't let her."

"What do you mean, they wouldn't let her?"

 ** Akatsuki Arrival **  
**Chapter Closed**


	9. The 1st Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I'm gonna skip Galaco's briefing for Kaito because you guys don't really need to hear it again when you already know how she inducts Players, and I don't wanna be a cheap cheapo and copy-paste the whole thing and make a few small edits.
> 
> Also, fair warning - I'm not writing Meiko as teenage Sakine Meiko. I just needed a family name and 'Sakine' was all set up already.

Kaito opened his eyes.

He was lying on a bench. That bench sat in Ashes Square, DIVA District's 'strict business' region. As he got up, he rubbed away the crust from his eyes, glancing around. "Okay," he murmured. "This Game... I can play games. I think I can do this."

He glanced at the pin in his hand - the fancy white skull seemed to gaze up at him, and a chill ran down his spine.

"I  _hope_ I can do this."

His phone went off in his pocket; he quickly dug it out and found a text waiting for him.

 _Mission: Reach 39_  
_You have 60 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"39? Kaito mused. "From here? That'll be easy en- **OW!** " His black Pin tumbled out of his hand as a stinging pain ripped up around him, and he found red-and-black numbers appear on his palm -  _counting down_. "Oh man, talk about your clock to race."

He quickly picked up the Pin again and stuck it on his shirt - and a screech from nearby drew his attention. Bats - bloody-red bats, with wings that did not look solid enough to lift them - were flapping about. Kaito gave a yelp, leaping off the bench and charging out of the square; and to his horror, the bats followed him as he fled onto Snowdust Street.

* * *

Miku had found herself in Starmine Square when she woke up; and to her pleasant surprise, she had found another pin in her pocket, besides her Player Pin and the  _Blossom_ from the last game. She didn't have much time to look over it, though, for flying bat Noise were screeching behind her as she dashed onto Snowdust Street, hoping to find another Player. To her fortune, she was nearly at 39 when she  _did_ find another Player - and more than that, someone she  **knew**. A blue-haired figure with a scarf around his neck was dashing towards her, looking terrified - Miku was willing to bet that Kaito had found out the hard way that he really  _couldn't_ fight without a partner, and she quickly raised her hand and waved him down.

Kaito seemed to be paying less attention to his surroundings than he was making sure the bats hadn't caught up with him. With a roll of her eyes, Miku stepped aside to make sure she didn't have another shoulder-to-shoulder impact and grabbed him by the front of his jacket, causing him to yelp in surprise.

"Huh!?" Looking over Miku. "What are you-!?"

'Make a pact with me!' Miku mouthed.

"What? I can't hear you!"

Miku was really starting to hate this. 'A pact!' she mouthed again, offering her hand. 'Pact!'

Kaito shook his head. "What are you saying? Bat? Back? Pack- Pact!" Realization struck him. "Pact!?" Miku nodded. "Pact! Yes, I'll make a pact with you!"

He grasped her hand, and that blue light surged out from the ground below them. Kaito yelped, surprised, but Miku kept her hand on his until the light had faded; then she released him and turned to the bats that had been chasing her. Not knowing how her new pin worked, she resorted to her Blossom pin again - a blaze of fire shot out of the ground, and Kaito cried out as it reached skyward, burning at the bats.

"How are you doing that!?" he cried.

Miku turned to him, tapping the pins on her shirt. 'Use a pin!' she mouthed.

"That thing? Wait, do I-" He reached his hands into the pockets of his jacket and then his pants, coming out with something in his hand - it was a pin. The surface was decorated with a coffin, with blue petals scattered around it. "How do I use this?"

One of the bats charged at Miku from the side; with a silent yelp, she raised a hand before her - and a black  _wave_ surged up before her, into which the bat crashed and was battered. Miku double-took before glancing at her pins again; that was  **not** her _Blossom_ fires, it must've had something to do with the new one.

"Okay, let me try that!" Kaito turned to the remaining bats - of which there were still five - and swung the hand holding his pin forward. A black ripple rose up around each bat, and they faltered mid-flap; Miku grinned, and once Kaito started swinging again she turned her flames on them to cross them out.

Soon enough, they were alone; Kaito yelped, doubling over. "Jeez. So those are those Noise things, huh?"

Miku glanced at her left hand and found her timer at  **32:57** ; she quickly held it out before Kaito to get his attention. "Huh? Oh, man!" He glanced at his own timer. "We've gotta get to 39! Let's go!"

He started the way he was going, and Miku grabbed the back of his collar. '39 is that way.'

* * *

Eventually, they arrived at 39; Miku gave her palm a quick glance to make sure they were off the clock before giving the plaza a scan. Kaito was panting beside her (not that she could blame him, given the speed he'd been running when they met up); after a while, he noticed her gaze. "What are you looking for?"

"Players!"

Miku knew that voice - she took a defensive stance, and Kaito stumbled back, almost landing on his ass. Sure enough, Una was waltzing towards them with a grin on her face - she had the yellow back in her hair, and was in her black-and-gold ensemble again with a microphone in her hands. On seeing Miku, she gaped for a moment; then she squealed, hopping up and down. "Oooh! Look who it is! Miku-Miku, playing another round!"

'Shut up, Una', Miku mouthed.

"Who are you?" Kaito asked. Then he yelped; "Wait, wings? You're a Reaper!"

Una raised an eyebrow. "Oh, boy. He's no dye job, is he? Where'd you find this coward?"

Kaito seemed to realize that tackling the winged girl was a bad idea, because his arm around her waist was the only thing that stopped Miku from throttling Una as she silently screamed, ' _ **Don't call him a coward!**_ '

"Watch it there, Miku-Miku," Una warned, wagging a finger tauntingly. "You hit me, and I get free reign to hit you back." She giggled. "You know, I was gonna set some Noise on you guys, but this is too much fun! Oh, Ryuto's gonna love some ideas for this week.

Miku stilled at that. 'Ryuto? Ideas?'

"Who's Ryuto?" Kaito asked warily.

"Ryuto is the guy in charge of this schtick," Una replied. "You'll see him in a few days!"

She issued a taunting little wave and hopped off, leaving Miku and Kaito in the Plaza. "Jeez," Kaito murmured, "is that what the Reapers are like?"

'Not all of them,' Miku mouthed, remembering Kokone.

Kaito slumped over briefly. "That's what I get for thinking I could beat a game just easy, I guess." With a groan, he rose up, and turned to her.

"She said your name's... Miku?"

**Cantarella  
Chapter Closed**


	10. The 2nd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Terribly close call discovering that I accidentally clicked CANCEL instead of PREVIEW, ten minutes after the fact. Fortunately, I had the chapter copied in preparation for something like this and hadn't copied anything else since.

_"Where...?"_

_The world had seemed to fade away after Kokone's erasure; now, as the light faded out, Miku and Luka stood in what looked to be a forest... were it not that the leaves of the trees were steely blue, and the sky above them an empty void. "Where are we...?"_

_Miku glanced around. 'I don't know.'_

_Luka shook her head. "Are we... alive again?"_

_"Not yet."_

_The Players both turned. Standing there, beneath one of the trees, was a figure in a white so radiant it was a wonder it didn't illuminate the entire forest. A sword was sheathed at his hip, and he held a folding fan in one hand; his hair was a regal purple, in two long streams from the side that trailed almost to his waist and a large tail that vanished behind his back._

_"Welcome," he greeted, "and congratulations. You two are the victors."_

_Both of them glared at him. "Who are you?" Luka demanded._

_"I am Kamui Gakupo. I am the Conductor of the Reaper's Game, and loyal servant to the Composer." He bowed formally._

Conductor? Composer?  _Miku remembered what had been said about the 'up top' surpassing the Game Master._  They must be the Reapers in charge...?

_"As per the Composer's mandate," Kamui continued, "the number of Players to be given new life in the aftermath of this game is... one."_

_Both Players started. "One!?" Luka exclaimed. "But that's... No! We both survived! I thought we both-!"_

_Kamui shook his head. "I have no control," he insisted. "Any and all specifics are decided by the Composer. That is Her exclusive and incontrovertible right."_

_"But..." Luka exchanged glances with Miku. "That can't be... What happens to the rest?"_

_"That is their decision," Kamui replied. "But rest assured, that simply because a surviving Player is not returned to life in the aftermath of the Game, does not necessarily mean that they will never do so."_

_A wind seemed to blow through the trees, causing them to start. "The hour of reckoning draws near," Kamui mused. "Your performance has been judged, and the Player to be reborn, decided." He flicked his fan open. "Congratulations..._

_"Megurine Luka."_

_Luka stumbled back. "Me?" she asked. "But I... No," she murmured. "It can't be me. It can't be. I don't have any reason to-"_

_"I think you'll find you do," Kamui corrected. "We grade Players according to their performance during missions. You scored the highest."_

_"That's... but..." Luka shook her head. "But I took my own life."_

_"And perhaps now, you will not make that mistake again," Kamui insisted. "This was decided by the Composer Herself. What you have done in life has no impact on how you are judged in the Reaper's Game."_

_Miku's hand on her shoulder drew Luka's attention. 'Go.'_

_"But Miku-"_

_'Go.' Her expression was one of determination. 'Find out why.'_

_"...Alright."_

_Luka stepped forward, and a shining light surged up around her; when it faded, she was gone._

_Kamui turned to Miku. "Now," he proceeded, "to the Players who survived the Reaper's Game, allow me to return your entry fees."_

_The wind howled, suddenly strong; Miku stumbled back and **cried out** , her voice echoing around the forest as she grasped her forehead. Kamui remained quiet as she started to tremble, and slowly, she lowered her hands._

_"You... What did you do!?"_

_"I told you," Kamui replied. "I returned-"_

_"No!" Miku snapped. "You took... You took more than one thing from me! Luka... she was my friend! You took my voice... **and** my memories of Luka!"_

_Kamui shook his head. "Not as **your** fee."_

_Miku's gaze shot up. "What?"_

_"Your voice was determined to be what **you**  value most," Kamui explained. "And so, it was taken as your entry fee. Megurine valued her friendship with you, and it was taken as  **her**  entry fee - but a friendship affects more than one person."_

_"Then..." Miku remembered what Luka had said about her death. "She couldn't remember why she killed herself. She... did it because **I**  was dead."_

_The Condutor folded his fan. "Now, you have a decision to make. How would you like to proceed from here?"_

_A golden light appeared before him._

_"If you still cling to life, you may enter the Game again."_

_It arced to the side, and a crimson light appeared where it had been._

_"If you lean toward destruction, you may join us as a Reaper."_

_The two lights turned again, and a dark cobalt took its place at the top._

_"Otherwise, should you welcome oblivion, erasure is also an option."_

_Miku took a heavy breath. "I'll play another round," she insisted. "Make sure your Reapers listen this time."_

_Kamui closed his eyes with a sigh. "Gacha Ryuto and Otomachi Una have been punished for their insubordination," he insisted. "I guarantee they will not defy the Game Master's orders again. Now, then..." He opened his fan, and the lights vanished. "For every Game, an entry fee must be taken. I'm afraid that I must deprive you of your voice once again."_

_"Then why bother returning it?" Miku demanded._

_"Two reasons, actually," Kamui replied. "What a Player values may change as they experience the Underground. It is not uncommon that, if a Player survives the Game and enters a new one, what they value most has changed. In your case, nothing has changed on this front - but in the case of your fee, there is another advantage to returning it."_

_Miku sighed. "The decision."_

_Kamui nodded. "Yes. I did not want there to be any risk of mistake in your decision, nor did I believe you would want to stay here for however long it would take for you to make your decision clear."_

_The wind howled again; and when Miku gasped at the sudden chill, no sound passed through her lips._

_"One more thing," Kamui insisted. "It is rare for two Games to occur in succession, and rarer still for three. I deem it unlikely that your next Game will happen immediately, but rest assured that no ill will occur between now and the start of the next Game."_

_The world faded out, such that even the brightness of Kamui's garb seemed to darken, and she succumbed to sleep._

* * *

Miku opened her eyes.

She and Kaito were in the Garden of the White Knight; Kaito was still snoozing on the grass as she got up. With a sigh, Miku glanced at her hands - still empty, which meant the mission hadn't come in while she was sleeping.

 _Luka's fee was our friendship,_ she recalled.  _That's why we didn't remember each other. But **I** still remember Kaito. Why doesn't he recognize me? Was that  **his** fee? Just his memories of me?_ She shook her head.  _It couldn't be. It couldn't be **me**. It couldn't be that one-sided. We met him and Meiko in their senior year._

Without a solid lead, she reached into her pocket and dug out her new pin. Like her  _Blossom_ pin, this one had a pale surface that was nearly white, with a design on it in one colour; this one was a seven-pointed blue leaf, with the veins of the leaf hollow to show the colour behind it. Around the edge was the same writing, in the same font -  Beneath a thousand cherry trees... \- and on the opposite side was the name,  _Maple_.

Kaito was starting to stir; Miku quickly pinned  _Maple_ to her shirt next to her  _Blossom_ as he got up, looking around. A silent snicker rose as she noticed Kaito had a leaf clinging to his cheek, and he stared at her lazily for a moment before muttering, "Good morning?"

Miku brushed at her own cheek meaningfully. Kaito repeated the notion and yelped, swatting at his face and knocking the leaf off as he scrambled back. With a chuckle, Miku pulled out her phone, checking the date - it was nine days after she and Luka had fought Kokone - before she opened up a memo to write on.

_Do you recog_

She blinked - and the memo was empty. 'What...?' She tried typing again;  _Do you know wh_

It vanished again.

'What's going on?'

"Something wrong with your phone?" Kaito asked.

_Testing, testing, wan, tsu, wan, tsu._

She held the memo out to Kaito, whose face lit up. "Oh! That'll work!" he observed. "If you write on that, we can..." His face fell. "You've done this before, haven't you?"

Miku nodded; then turned the memo back towards her.  _Something's wrong, though. I can't ask you abou_

The text she'd written vanished when she blinked again. Her lips formed a curse - and then a message came in, and Kaito's phone rang as well. "Oh!"

 _Mission: Strike down the ghost of the Silent Beat_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Ghost?" Kaito sounded worried. "What does it mean, gho-  _OW!_ "

The timers had appeared. Miku quickly reopened her memo.  _It's probably just phrased that way to frighten us._

"Well, it's working," Katio murmured. "Monster bats, demon girls, and now ghosts?"

As much as Miku wanted to think that Kaito, who could single-handedly defend Miku and all of her friends, shouldn't be acting like this, she had to admit that this was new. Alley punks, sure. Street gangs, okay. Desperate homeless guys, nothing more threatening than a guilt trip. Noise, Reapers, and whatever else the UG was going to pull on them? Miku hadn't seen any of this before her first Game, either, and Kaito's pin hadn't seemed to have much power to it.

She got to her feet, prompting Kaito to get to his, and the two took off.

* * *

"Tell me you're not getting serious."

Ryuto was sitting at the edge of the roof of a building overlooking I_O Walk. This was the same place where Gakupo had found him and Una during the last Game, and punished them for defying Kokone's instructions. At Una's inquiry, Ryuto only clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Not yet," he insisted. "I think that coward might be shaking a little, but I'm saving the fun for tomorrow."

Una took a seat next to him. "Don't go calling him a coward in front of Miku," she warned. "You should've seen her face."

"That mutie?" Ryuto scoffed. "What's she gonna do?"

"Oh, you might be surprised," Una warned. "She's packing something new this round."

Ryuto's face fell. "Something new?" he asked. "What do you mean? Her pin changed?"

"No, she's still got her fire from last time," Una insisted. "But she's got something else, too - a black barrier of some kind."

"She's rocking two pins?" Ryuto asked. "I'll be damned. Never thought we'd see a lucky one in DIVA."

"Right?" Una giggled. "I'm looking forward to Day 7."

"You don't get to join me on Day 7," Ryuto warned. "Although I might get you to set a few rhinos on them to tire them out."

Una giggled. "Oh, I'm looking forward to it."

Ryuto held his hand before him, baring the timer on his palm. "I'm not gonna mess up. Not like Kokone did. That bitch isn't gonna win another round."

* * *

Silent Beat Alleyway was walled off from Cybernation Plaza; after a hasty introduction between Matcha and Kaito, they were tasked with clearing a few Noise-possessed civilians. A few erasures, and the two Players arrived in Silent Beat Alleyway.

"Okay, you said 'ghost' was just trying to scare us, right?" Katio asked. "What does it really mean?"

Miku  **hoped** that it was only phrased that way in an attempt to scare them. After Kokone had met her end here, she was very much not looking forward to meeting the former GM's specter.  _There must be a giant Noise in the concert venue_ , she tapped out _. The way Noise affect people in the RG, superstitious types would think it's a ghost._

Stepping inside, however, revealed a more pressing problem: the lights had gone dark. Kaito groaned worriedly, but Miku only switched to her phone's flashlight and lit it up, casting the light around the venue; scanning with her Player Pin turned up nothing, although she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. A mutter of "Oh, that's an idea" preceded a shuffling as the blue-haired Player dug around for his phone - and Miku rounded on him when he muttered, "Oh, man."

'What happened?' Miku muttered.

"Um..." Kaito looked awkward. "I was downloading a better flashlight app, and I uninstalled my old one - you know, ahead of time, so I wouldn't have to worry about it later. I, uh... I think I died and came to the Game before the download finished.

Of all the things for someone to worry about when they die, an unfinished download was not expected; Miku was laughing soundlessly as she turned back to the venue. Three dark figures on the floor gave her pause, and Miku stumbled when she realized they weren't Noise or bodies, but  _lights_.

"Those are... stage lights?" Kaito murmured from behind her. "I guess, they fell from the supports... and no one's gotten around to fixing them yet."

 _Luka grabbed those when we were fighting Kokone,_ Miku realized.  _But... I thought things we broke when fighting Noise didn't affect the UG. What's going on?_

"Miku? Miku?" Kaito set a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She quickly shook her head, beckoning for Kaito to follow her. Carefully, she gave the fallen lights a wide berth and clambered onto the stage, waiting for Kaito to accompany her before continuing into the back. Nobody was present, but Miku was pleased to find a control box sitting here.

"What are you doing?"

Miku quickly killed her flashlight and opened a memo.  _It's not safe to be wandering around in the dark with one light between two people. I'm gonna turn on as many lights as I can, then maybe we can we can find this 'ghost'._

Kaito looked up at her. "You don't really think it's a ghost, do you?"

_I'm not a hundred percent sure it's a Noise at this point._

"Oh."

Miku turned her flashlight back on and handed the phone to Kaito, beckoning to the control box. Kaito nodded and raised the phone high to cast light over it as Miku looked over the labels; she quickly turned the Stage Light A, B, and C switches to _OFF_ before flicking the  Backstage Lighting switch to _ON_. As the lights rose up around them, she took her phone back from Kaito and disabled the flashlight; then she turned  _ON_ the  Seating Lights 1 through 5, the Mosh Pit Lighting, and the Upper Level Lights before pulling away.

"What are we looking for?" Kaito wondered.

'I dunno,' Miku admitted with a shrug, pulling out her phone again.  _Let's check the upper levels, maybe we'll find something there._

* * *

The 'upper level' of the venue was in fact nothing more than a pair of grated walkway via which one could check the wiring for the lights - the stage lights hung between them, and the mosh lights were wired to the undersides. There  _should_ have been some handrails, but it looked like they'd been struck when Luka was bringing the lights down - they hadn't collapsed yet, but they certainly weren't in any position to put one's hands on. 

Kaito only climbed up first out of courtesy for Miku's wardrobe; once they were both up, he let her lead the way. They were immediately over the mosh pit when a high-pitched cry caused him to yelp; Miku felt the familiar shift and turned to find the same red bat Noise as yesterday were flapping towards them. She quickly lit a flame on the walkway, the fire burning high enough to sear at the bats; Kaito quickly started swinging at them, causing the black ripples to rise up around them, and Miku dragged her blaze back and forth to cross out as many as she could.

"That wasn't the ghost, was it?" Kaito asked.

Miku glanced at her timer, finding they were down to  **38:22**  - and she realized. They hadn't shifted away from the battelfield; there were still Noise somewhere around here. Her gaze went around, trying to find enemies - but there was nothing.

Then, suddenly, there  _was_ something - a swarm of red Bats shot up from between the walkways, causing Kaito to scream. Miku raised a barrier with her  _Maple_ pin; some of the bats collided with it and were erased in short order, but the rest of the swarm flew about the grating, swarming the lighting for the mosh pit. A strike of realization; Miku glanced down before the lights could be obscured completely and saw something  _huge_  flapping about there.

She turned to Kaito, who looked worried. 'Take them out!' she mouthed, aiming her finger at the nearest swarm.

"Take them out?" Kaito echoed.

Miku nodded; then she turned round and tried to blaze at the bats. However, her flame was grounded; the non-solid surface of the grating meant she could deal some damage to the closest ones, but for the most part the swarm was focused on blocking out the lights. Kaito started swinging at them; the bats were a rather weak sort of Noise, and a few swipes were enough to take out the entire swarm around one walkway. With the lights unobscured, the creature in the mosh pit was visible - a positively  _massive_ green bat, with wings formed from blood-red Noise waves. Kaito cried out at the sight, yelling, "How long was that there!?"

'I'll handle it!' Miku insisted, beckoning to herself and then to the giant Noise below. Then, pointing to Kaito and then the swarm; 'You deal with these!'

"What do you mean, you'll fight that one!?" Katio cried out. "Can you even burn it from here?!"

She shook her head - and then, before he could object, she leapt from the walkway.

" _Miku!_ "

The giant Noise saw Miku falling and slammed the tips of its wings into the floor, dragging them across the pavement to send up sparks. Miku, however, had misjudged her jump, and was falling straight towards the Noise itself; she quickly raised her barrier as she collided with it, causing it to raise its wings and pull away as she bounced roughly off. She landed with a roll and quickly got to her feet, lighting a flame beneath the giant Noise; Kaito quickly resumed battering the bats around the lights, trying to take out as many as he could.

The Noise tried to swipe at Miku with one wing; her focus faltered as she ducked under the blow, and she promptly leapt out of its wingspan before relighting her flame. Wings were dug into the pavement again, and the sparks were sent flying towards Miku; the searing shower on her legs had her screaming soundlessly, stumbling back and falling to her knees. Kaito finished off the last of the bats under the walkway, and as the lights intensified, the giant bat seemed **hurt** by it _;_ its wings went limp at its sides as it collapsed.

"Is it done!?" Kaito asked.

Miku knew better - it wasn't fading, it wasn't done. She quickly relit her flame beneath it, maintaining the assault as long as she could; after a long, agonizing moment, it started to rise, and she watched as at folded its wings before it and then swept them out, revealing another huge swarm of tiny bats. They surged up towards the lights, and Kaito started swinging his pin at them, battering them with black waves as the mosh pit went dark.

The giant bat seemed to vanish completely in the darkness; Miku decided not to take any chances and quickly raised her barrier again. To her surprise, the pain in her legs from the spark burns started to ebb out; she quickly got to her feet, keeping her barrier raised. Another shower of sparks gave away the Noise's position - Miku hopped back before lighting her flame beneath it... and became worried when it showed no indication the flames were doing anything.

A surge of light from above; Kaito had taken out the swarm around one of the walkways' lights. As soon as the illumination was present, the Noise started writhing against her flame; Miku realized that it wasn't just invisible but  _invulnerable_ in total darkness. It raised both wings skyward; Miku killed her flame and leapt aside as it swung them down, launching a  _giant four-pointed star_ that ripped through the air where she had just been, vanishing as it approached the edges of the mosh pit.

Kaito was about to take out the last swarm; but he had failed to realize that his backsteps, in his effort to get a better aim at the bats beneath him, had gotten him closer to the edge of the walkway. One last swipe took out the swarm, but as the giant Noise collapsed from the brightness, Kaito found himself stumbling off the walkway with a scream. Miku was helpless but to watch as he landed on the Noise as he had - and without anything to soften the blow, he had the wind knocked out of him as he bounced off and landed face-down on the pavement. Miku quickly ran up to him; the barrier from her  _Maple_  pin was too tight for her to get him inside it, and as she tried to help him to his feet, the bat started to move.

Miku turned round, ready to defend herself; but as it raised its wings, Kaito pulled back, swinging his pin at it desperately.

And a  _huge_ black surge ripped up around it, five intersecting waves blasting around it.

Both players yelped at that sight, scrambling away - but it wasn't the Noise's attack. In fact, the Noise was starting to fade out... but not entirely. The massive black wings, the body all faded away... save for a tiny green bat flapping, with waved wings like the bats from the rafters.

Miku quickly raised her hand, lighting a flame beneath it, and the bat had no chance to flee before it was burned away.

She quickly glanced at her timer - they were off the clock, and she gave a silent sigh of relief. Turning to Kaito revealed a terrified look on his face, and he glanced at his hand worriedly.

"Did... Did I do that?"

**Ashes to Ashes  
Chapter Closed**


	11. The 3rd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Never wear Eden to a raven fight. At least not in the Solo Remix. I don't think they're allowed to take your Eden pins when you've got the whole set on, which mean they're going to take your only offensive pin. It takes way too long for your partner to take a raven out without a Cross Combo.
> 
> [EDITED: Still never wear Eden to a raven fight (and applicable to the Final Remix as well), but absolutely never wear the Darklit Planets when you hang out with Joshua in a Remix. Slashing down is only gonna activate Black Jupiter, so unless you're playing Co-op you're not gonna be making a whole lot of Cross Combos)

Kaito opened his eyes and found himself lying on the pavement in Silent Beat alleyway. With a groan, he got up and found Miku sitting nearby building, tapping away at her phone. "Morning," he greeted. "No mission yet?"

Miku shook her head; then she held her phone out to show the memo she'd been writing.  _I was thinking about what happened with the Noise yesterday. I think your pin is more powerful if you focus it on only one target. Can I see it?_

"You want to...? Okay." Kaito pulled the pin off his shirt and handed it to her. The front surface was surprisingly detailed considering the small surface area - a black coffin covered with swirls of grey, surrounded by what looked like blue rose petals. The other side was blank except for the name -  _Requiem_.

After a moment, Miku handed it back to him and started tapping at her memo again.  _I've never tried, but I don't think I'm allowed to use someone else's pins. We'll have to find some Noise and give it a try instead of just expecting it to do what it did yesterday._

"Do we really have to- Ah!" Kaito cut himself off as their phones went off - their mission had arrived. He quickly dug his device out as Miku checked the message... and concern decorated her face.

 _Mission: Submit to the blade of the Swordsman_  
_You have 60 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

Kaito was starting to sweat. "Submit to the blade?" he gasped. "They expect us to get erased!?" He shook his head. "No, they couldn't... could they?"

Miku shook her head, worried, and looked like she was about to say something when their phones went off again.

_Conductor override. Illegal mission terminated._

A silent sigh of relief from Miku put Kaito's nerves at ease, but only slightly. "What's a 'Conductor override'?" he murmured.

His partner opened a memo and tapped something out.  _The Conductor is one of the Reapers at the top of the food chain. He's higher ranked than the Game Master._

"So, this... override... means the mission doesn't work?" Kaito asked.

'Guess so,' Miku mouthed.

* * *

" **Excuse** me!"

Gakupo sighed as the current Game Master charged into the meeting room. "You brought this on yourself, Ryuto."

"It's not my fault nobody gave me instructions on what is and is not a 'legal' mission," Ryuto snapped. "What's wrong with getting the Players hurt a little?"

"The Game Master may not issue a mission whose terms in and of themselves are not possible to complete," Gakupo reprimanded.

Ryuto scoffed. "They can complete it!" he argued.

"It would result in their erasure," Gakupo observed. "The GM cannot command Players to get themselves erased."

With a growl, Ryuto turned away. "Fine, fine," he muttered. "I'll come up with something different-"

"Not today, you won't."

"What!?"

Gakupo turned to face him. "One mission per day. That's the rule. You issued your mission, and it has been terminated. Take better care with the remainder."

"You son of a-!"

* * *

"Hey, Players!"

Kaito and Miku stepped into Ashes Square to find the Support Reapers standing there. Kaito stepped back warily before recognizing one of them. "Oh, you," he murmured. "Matcha, right? And you are...?"

"Azuki," the red-haired Reaper replied. "Miku already knows us."

Miku gave them a brief smile before glancing around inquisitively.

"The GM's mission got shut down, so we got no reason to keep our walls up," Azuki explained, flicking a red shape into the air like a coin. "He wants to trap you guys, he's gotta do it himself."

"So, what happens when there's no mission?" Kaito asked.

"Well, the mission  _was_ issued," Matcha mused, "so you've still got your designated pass-out. But until it hits, you've got free roam of DIVA."

"There's a karaoke bar in Cybernation Plaza that's Game-accessible," Azuki mused, "wanna join us?"

Miku shook her head. 'Sorry,' she mouthed.

Azuki shrugged. "That's alright. See ya."

They took off, and Kaito turned warily to Miku. "Are you really gonna make me practice with this pin?" he asked.

The silent Player rolled her eyes at him, drawing out her phone.  _If we're wrong about how it works, do you really want to find out while we're fighting a giant dragon or something?_

"There are giant dragons in here?"

'Oh yeah.'

"Oh man."

* * *

Snowdust Street had plenty of Noise for the Players to practice on.  _I'm gonna get the attention of five_ _Noise_ , Miku tapped out _, and I want you to try and hit just one of them._

"I'll try," Kaito replied worriedly.

Miku opened up a scan with her Player Pin and grabbed the smallest sigils floating around. The Noise that dropped from the sigils were red crabs, their pincers made from blue waves; uncertain, Kaito made an overhead swing with his arm, and Miku was pleasantly surprised to see the fivefold black wave from yesterday rip up around it. The crab ceased to exist as its attacker stumbled back - the blast was much more noticeable in broad daylight than in the dark colours of the mosh pit.

He turned to Miku, who raised two fingers of one hand as an indication of how many he should aim for this time. The crabs were starting to approach; Kaito gave an awkward diagonal swing with his arm, and smaller ripples like his usual rose up around every one of them. Another diagonal at a sharper angle had the same effect, and an overhead swing ended up wiping out one of them with the big wave, prompting Miku to help burn the rest.

They started down the street for a fresh batch of Noise, and Miku drew out her phone.  _Don't just swing at them. Try to focus on which ones you want it to hit._

"Why do I get the feeling you know a lot more about this game than I do?" Kaito murmured.

Miku's expression became awkward as she tapped at the memo again.  _This is my second Game running._

Kaito started at that. "Your second?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

'Long story,' Miku insisted, scanning the area again to find more Noise about. She quickly seized a few more of the small sigils, causing five red crabs Noise to drop to the pavement; then she raised two fingers again for Kaito's indicator. Concerned, but deciding to focus on this training she was putting him through, he put his attention on two of the crabs and swung at them... and two waves burst out around those ones - only four layers instead of the five on his single-target, but still enough to take out Noise this small.

He turned to Miku to find her fist-pumping with a smile on her face; noticing his look, she raised three fingers this time. There were only three Noise left, but just to be on the safe side, Kaito focused on them all before striking at them, causing three-layered waves to burst out around them. That wasn't enough to finish them off, but Miku quickly ran her flame over them faster than he thought it could move, barely singing them but taking them out nonetheless. They hit the intersection and continued onto Aqua Street, where Miku grabbed five more crabs. This time, she held her hand with an open palm out, all five fingers tight to each other.

"Stop?" Kaito asked.

Miku nodded, lighting her flame; it took her a moment, but she burned away two of them and left her with three. She turned to Kaito and made a swipe with her arm, and he took that to mean 'don't focus this time'; he quickly swept his hand at them and found the smaller ripples rising up again. When he focused on the three, he had the threefold waves; although that wasn't enough to take them out, another hit with those did. Further down the street, Miku grabbed a few more crabs and raised four fingers; the waves this time were two-layered, and it took four swings to take them out. To his confusion, however, a wild swing at the last one produced the fivefold blast from before.

"This is getting weird," Kaito murmured.

 _How do you feel about something sweet?_  Miku offered. _There's a confectionery in Rouge Square that's Game-accessible._

"Those Reapers from before mentioned something like that," Kaito observed. "What do you mean, it's Game-accessible?"

_I'll show you._

* * *

After a hastily-tapped lecture about UG/RG deal at Galaxias' storefront, the Players stepped inside. Galaco was dealing with a customer at the counter; he marched off with a Stardust, and the Reaper turned to them. "Hello, Honki. And Hatsune - you're in the Game again."

Miku nodded sadly.

"You're the Reaper who introduced me," Kaito murmured. "Where are your wings?"

Galaco glanced back at herself; Miku hadn't noticed it before, but she was indeed lacking wings. "Reapers can only bear their wings in the UG," she explained. "When we're in the RG, we have no wings - and no ability. We're basically normal people here." She shook her head. "Anyways, enough of that. What can I get you?"

There was a well-stocked ice cream section behind Galaco's counter. Kaito got three scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone - chocolate, caramel, and vanilla - and made his way to one of the outdoor tables with a much lighter wallet, but a very broad smile on his face. Miku started tapping on her memo before Galaco handed her a pen and a pad of paper; she quickly ordered a bar of mint chocolate and took a seat across the table from Kaito.

 _Looks like your pin hurts a LOT more if you don't try and take out a whole group_ , Miku explained to Kaito, finding it much faster to write than to tap on her phone _. But you've got to pay attention if there's more than just two of them._   _I think we'll get through the Noise faster if you take them out one by one._

"I'm..." Kaito shuffled awkwardly. "I'm not really... comfortable throwing around that much power," he mumbled. "I'd rather stick to the small ones."

Miku became concerned at this point. Kaito hadn't been afraid to throw around power before; he wasn't the _violent_ type, necessarily, but he hadn't been afraid to hit an attempted mugger with a rain-ruined bass, either. Experimentally, she started writing on the pad.  _Don't you remem_

She blinked, and the writing vanished.

'Dammit.'

**CHAOS NOTE  
Chapter Closed**


	12. The 4th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Anybody figured out where I'm going with Miku's pins? If you can guess, I'll include your name as a throwaway gag.

Kaito found himself in Swordsman's Square as he awoke on Day 4; Miku was already on her feet with a hand held before her, and between her fingers he could see the black surface of a Player Pin. "Morning," he greeted, prompting Miku to turn. "What are you doing?"

 _Just keeping my eyes open_ , Miku tapped out _. If Ryuto had a giant Noise here to erase us yesterday, I didn't want to get blindsided by leftovers._

"Ryuto," Kaito murmured. "That's the Game Master, right? You know him?"

Miku nodded. _He was just a Harrier in my last Game._ _Foul little brat._

Their phones went off as Kaito was about to reply; he quickly drew out his phone as Miku checked the message.

 _Mission: Duel with the goddess of the Flower Fight_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Goddess?" Kaito murmured. "What kind of Noise would be considered a goddess?"

Miku shook her head as she tapped at a memo.  _There aren't any Noise that humanoid. I think it means a Reaper._

Kaito paled. "We have to fight a Reaper?"

Another message came through before she could respond.

_Conductor override. Illegal mission terminated._

"Another one?" Kaito sighed. "This Ryuto guy must suck at sticking to the rules."

The expression on Miku's face as she switched back to the memo seemed to imply that he didn't know the half of it.  _We're going to be fighting a Reaper on Day 7, anyways. The last day of the Game lets the GM attack directly._

"Wonderful."

* * *

"Another one!?"

Ryuto was as displeased to hear about Gakupo's override as Kaito was relieved. He and Una were at the Flower Fight Memorial - Una being the 'goddess' in question - and the Conductor override notification had come in while they were discussing battle plans.  _The GM cannot command Players to attack Reapers prior to Day 7_ was the message that Gakupo had sent him, saving him the trouble of hunting the Conductor down and getting answers in person.

"And that means you don't get a second chance, huh?" Una was in as foul a mood as Ryuto was. "What do we do now?"

"The only thing we  _can_ do," Ryuto muttered, tapping at his phone. "I'm gonna give Lily and Cul a chance to get some extra score."

Una rolled her eyes. "Cul's not gonna go for it," she reprimanded. "You know her better than that."

"Still," Ryuto admitted, sending the message, "I don't want her on my ass because I didn't give her the chance."

* * *

"You are not dragging me along to go shopping!"

Miku was glad to hear that Kaito wasn't  **completely** different than when she had last seen him before the game, but his refusal to let her go to 39 was a rather less-than-pleasant discovery.  _The mission's been cut out, there's no giant Noise to deal with, and we can't just sit around Galaxia all week eating sweets._

Kaito sounded offended as he asked, "Why not?"

_I still remember your dental bill fr_

Her memo emptied when she blinked. 'Dammit,' she mouthed again. This was starting to get annoying. After a moment's thought, she started tapping again.  _If you don't want to come shopping, we can always get you some more practice with your pin_.

"What!?" Kaito protested. "No, we learned everything about my pin yesterday!"

 _On small Noise that I was able to eliminate easily on my own_ , Miku reminded him _. If we can find a pack of wolves or something, we can figure out exactly how much stronger it is against two targets than three._

Kaito whimpered warily. "Okay, fine, let's hit 39," he ceded.

Miku was actually kind of hoping that he **would** be willing to do some more practice. She was starting to think his entry fee had been his  **bravery** ; it would explain why he was suddenly much more flight than fight, and him losing his memories of her wouldn't explain why she couldn't write about it. Still, if that was the case, she wasn't going to complain about the chance to go shopping like she had planned to; she gave him a small smile and started out onto Parallel Circuit.

The trip to 39 was rather uneventful; no walls, no Reapers, not even any large Noise sigils when Miku gave the area a cursory scan. Unfortunately, Miku couldn't find anything that looked good and still fit well enough to facilitate the UG; she was about to leave when she noticed something curious behind the counter of one locale.

Pins.  **Plenty** of pins - with lots of different patterns, including a familiar flower-and-crossbones like Lily had handed out - lined up and each named. The shopkeeper noticed her interest, as he stepped up and asked, "Find something you're interested in, miss?"

Miku quickly drew out her phone and tapped a memo.  _One Violet Butterfly, one Innocent, and one Guilty, please_.

"I'm glad to hear you're interested," the salesman admitted, withdrawing the pins she'd requested. "Pins are quite the niche sort, but every so often somebody sees one and likes it. Will that be all?"

Kaito was eyeing a pair of sunglasses; Miku had them rung up, and the Players started on their way out of 39. She handed the  _Guilty_ pin (whose surface featured a long knife with a trail of rose petals) to the shaded Kaito and pinned the  _Violet Butterfly_ (whose name spoke for its design) and  _Innocent_ (decorated with a golden flower) next to her  _Blossom_ and  _Maple_ pins.

"What are these for?" Kaito asked.

 _Some bird Noise can steal your pins_ , Miku warned _. These ones don't feel like they do anything, but some decoys will make it harder for them to take what we can use._

As they emerged into the plaza, a sudden shift crossed them; Miku came to a halt as the civilians of the RG flickered out, but Kaito was occupied with equipping the new pin. An open-jawed Noise sigil was advancing across the ground and Miku saw it was headed straight for Kaito.

She quickly charged forward and shoved him aside; then, as the sigil centered beneath her, she raised a barrier with her  _Maple_ pin.

Three rows of sharpened teeth surged out of the ground, collided with the shield, and retreated back into the pavement. Kaito turned round in time to see a massive shark fin forged from blue waves rise like they were standing upon water; a couple yellow crabs with long green pincers dropped out of a few more sigils, and a few purple-legged frogs leapt out of the rest.

'Yeah, this is fair,' Miku mouthed; she quickly lit her flame on one of the frogs, and black ripples along the group told her Kaito had swinging. One frog, two frogs, one crab; she started blazing the other crab as the fin vanished, and to her horror ripples began to rise up around the last frog. A massive shark in pale blue lunged out of the pavement and slammed its jaws on the Noise, consuming it hole, and the waves of its fin turned from blue to deep purple as it sunk back into the ground.

As soon as the fin appeared again, Miku lit her flame on it; and when Kaito swung at it, the fivefold wave burst out around it as it flashed from the cross-blow. A moment more to Miku's flame was enough to fade the Noise; the civilians flickered back into existence around them to show their battle was over.

"Hot damn, little boy blue!" The familiar voice drew Miku's attention; Lily had her bike parked next to the entrance to 39 and was leaning against it, watching them with interest. "Where'd you get a hit like that?"

Kaito turned around and yelped at the sight of her wings. "Reaper!" Then; "Wait, you're that Avex chick!"

Lily rolled her eyes, pulling off the bike. "You know," she mused, aiming a finger at Miku, "before your first game, nobody's ever recognized me by my face. The most I've ever gotten is an 'oh, that Lily' before pinkie showed up."

"Oh man oh man oh man," Kaito murmured. "A Reaper on a stunt bike. This is scary."

"Oh, calm down, would you," Lily reprimanded, stepping forward. "I haven't got any more than the shark ready to-"

She fell quiet, her face falling... and her nose wrinkling. Concerned, she started to approach Kaito, who stumbled back. "What are you doing?" he asked. Then, when Lily started  _sniffing_ at him; "What are you doing?!"

After a moment, Lily pulled back. "Cold."

"What?"

"Artificial cold." The Reaper aimed a finger at him. "Did you freeze to death in a cooler?"

Kaito was dumbfounded. "You can tell!?"

Miku had a similar expression on her face as Lily nodded. "A Player tends to have some kind of residue from how they died while they're in the UG. Like, if you drowned, then your skin just kinda refuses to dry out. If you got shot up, you might have some bruises where the bullets hit." She rolled her eyes. "I hate the smell of a freezer. Why would you even stick around in there?"

"I wasn't in there on purpose!" Kaito protested. "It was a shipping container for frozen stuff, it landed around me.

Lily smirked. "How does that even- huh?"

Miku's finger on her shoulder drew her attention, and she turned to find a memo.  _Why did you suddenly try to erase us today? There weren't any missions yesterday either._

"Ryuto's being a little ass," Lily replied. "Kid keeps getting pissed off when the higher-ups are negating his missions. He sent me and Cul orders to try and erase you..." With a chuckle she added, " **try**  being the operative word. After what you did to that shark," - here she aimed a finger at Kaito - "I'm gonna call that a try."

"That sound fair," Kaito murmured.

She made her way back to her bike and climbed on, revving the engine. "See you tomorrow, Players!"

**Encounter  
Chapter Closed**


	13. The 5th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I don't know how, but I got 'Paradichlorobenzene' stuck in my head in the middle of writing this chapter.

'I'm starting to think they're just putting us where the last mission was supposed to be...'

Miku woke up and found herself at the Flower Fight Memorial for the start of Day 5. Kaito was still snoozing as she gave the area a quick scan; again, it looked like Ryuto had cleaned up after his illegal mission, for there were no oversized Noise floating about. After about a minute of quiet, a message came in; Kaito began to stir as Miku drew out her phone.

 _Mission: Evacuate the domain of the Pain Crave_  
_You have 600 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

'Pain Crave Bridge...' After a mission and a beginning there in her last Game, Miku knew for a fact that the only way they could affect people in the RG was by erasing Noise that clung to them. 'There's no way we can evacuate the bridge,' she muttered soundlessly.

And sure enough, another message came through before Kaito could even speak.

_Conductor override. Illegal mission terminated._

"Jeez," Kaito muttered. "I feel like we're gonna get through the rest of the Game without another mission. I mean, what if he tries to do something wrong on the last day?"

Miku shook her head, opening up a memo.  _I don't think the Day 7 mission comes from the GM._

Kaito slumped over briefly. "So, no mission again. Did you come up with any plans while I was sleeping?"

She  _hadn't_ come up with any plans, as it happened. After a moment, however, Miku tapped at her memo again and showed it to him.

_No, we're not going to hang around Galaxias all day._

"Aww."

* * *

"What," Ryuto spat, "is the point of being Game Master if you can't even make sure the Players get erased!?"

Una sighed. "What's Gakupo's excuse this time?" she inquired.

Ryuto shook his head. "I don't know yet. He hasn't-" A tone from his phone cut him off, and he drew the device out with a scoff and a muttering of "Speak of the devil."

_The GM cannot command players to interact with the RG where that is impossible  
Last warning, Ryuto_

"Last warning!" The Game Master laughed once. "Tomorrow's Day 6. What's he gonna do if I break his ungiven rules again, erase me?"

Una had joined in laughing when his phone went off with another message from Gakupo.  _Well, there's not much -I- can do..._

Then another message - from Gumi this time.  _...but -I- can always give you a handicap on Day 7._

"Well, shit," Ryuto muttered. "This sucks! He shoots down all my missions, threatens to make the Players' job easy... It's like he doesn't want them erased."

"If you **really** wanna take out the Players," Una mused, "we could always check the file photos on how to make a refiner-"

Ryuto's hand struck her across the face. She hadn't even seen him move. "Don't even joke about that," he snapped.

"Sorry, sorry," Una murmured. "That was kinda poor taste."

With a sigh, Ryuto turned back to the streets. "Tomorrow," he muttered. "Tomorrow, hell with missions. Hell with orders. We're gonna pit some Noise on them ourselves."

"I love the way you think."

* * *

The Players made their way to Cybernation Plaza, hoping to hit the karaoke bar that Azuki had mentioned on Day 3. Unfortunately, they ran into the Support Reapers on their way up Amaretto, where Matcha informed them that the locale was temporarily closed.

"Apparently some idiot spilled their drink on the tech," she explained, "and the entire system got shorted out."

Miku turned her gaze on Azuki.

The red-haired Reaper was offended at that. "Excuse me!" she protested. "What have I done to deserve your suspicions for _that!?_ "

Miku raise a hand to her like she was holding something long, clicking her teeth together as she snapped that hand at an angle.

"I was hungry!" Azuki insisted.

"She didn't do anything," Matcha reprimanded before Miku could speak again. "She's not that stupid."

Azuki rounded on her. "What do you mean,  _that_ stupid!?"

"How many times have you gotten your keypins mixed up?" Matcha inquired.

"It was once, and I was drunk!" Azuki countered.

"It was most certainly not once," Matcha insisted, "and I certainly hope you haven't been drunk that often in the UG."

Kaito spoke up before Azuki could argue. "Um, what's a keypin?"

Matcha reached into her pocket, her hand emerging with a pin in her grip. "This is a keypin," she replied, holding it out; it was similar to a Player Pin, black with a white skull but the lower point of the skull was replaced by a... well key, with a few holes in the blade instead of a jagged edge. "We use them to make or break walls. Each wall is coded to a  _specific_ level keypin," she continued, turning to Azuki, "and just because you have an L _4_  keypin doesn't mean you can unlock an L2 wall."

"Oh, shut up," Azuki muttered. "That's a stupid system anyways. I think if I beat on them enough times it'll trick the damn thing into working."

"That's not gonna happen," Matcha insisted.

"What's going on here?"

The inquiry from nearby drew attentions; Miku offered a smile when she saw Akita Neru coming from the direction of Ashes Square. "Oh, hey, Neru," Azuki called. "What're you doing here?"

"Keeping my eyes open," Neru insisted. "I don't trust Ryuto not to try and break the rules after three missions have gotten overridden."

"You've got a point there," Matcha admitted. "We're heading to Galaxias, wanna join us?"

Neru shook her head. "I'll have to pass... what?"

She turned to Miku, who had closed her eyes when Matcha mentioned Galaxias. She snuck a peek at Kaito, who had a pleading look on his face, and rolled her eyes before mouthing, 'Fine.'

"Fine what?" Matcha asked.

"She said we can't just hang around Galaxias all day when there's no mission," Kaito recalled. " _Apparently_ there's something wrong with enjoying some very good ice cream on a hot day."

"You think this is hot?" Azuki asked.

"I died in a freezer container," Kaito admitted, "I'm starting to think everything's gonna feel a little warmer than it should for the rest of the Game."

He, Azuki, and Matcha started towards Rouge Square, and Miku gave a silent sigh. 'I'm never gonna curb his sweet tooth.'

* * *

" _Ruined?!_ "

Matcha and Kaito's cries of horror had Galaco shaking her head. "Sorry," she pleaded. "The power flashed last night, and the stupid digital settings on this freezer don't handle outages that well."

"So much delicious ice cream," Kaito moaned.

"You said it," Matcha murmured.

Azuki turned to Miku. "Is yours always like this?"

'Yes. Yours?'

"Sadly."

Miku got another mint chocolate bar and made her way out to grab a table. Kaito eventually settled for a long bar of white chocolate filled with caramel; Matcha got a stick of something that apparently had more sugar than the rest of the counter combined, and Azuki grabbed a Stardust before she joined them.

After a long moment, Miku started writing on her pad again.  _Yesterday, Lily mentioned the way a Player dies has_ _some__ She scrawled a line down the page as she tried to think of a good term before settling on _residue. Are there any deaths that don't do that?_

Matcha shook her head. "I don't think so," she admitted. "Nothing that'll get you in the UG, anyways. I mean, if you die of old age, or sickness, or something, you bypass the Game entirely. Like, injury? You'll have the scars. Burns? You're gonna have some nasty tan lines. Poison? You'll get a bad cough, or have trouble getting up sometimes, depending on what it did. If you fell off a bridge, you're gonna have constant vertigo. If vertigo's a thing for you." Her gaze narrowed. "Why, how did you die?"

Kaito hummed. "That's a good question," he mused. "How  _did_ you die?"

Miku bit her lip before writing on the pad again.

_I don't know._

"What!?" Azuki got to her feet as she cried out. "How is that even possible?"

 _The last thing I remember before my first Game is shopping at 39,_  Miku wrote _. I never really thought about it until you guys were talking about Kaito's freezer._

"That is weird," Azuki murmured. "You think someone might've killed you on the sly? Done it fast so you didn't notice it?"

 _What could've killed me that I wouldn't notice the residue?_ Miku wondered.

Matcha shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe take a good look in the mirror next time you go shopping, see if there's, a cut scar in your back or something."

Kaito turned to her. "You said this was your second Game, right?" he asked. "Didn't you think about it in your last one?"

Miku shook her head, wondering why the thought had never occurred to her...

**Imperfect Rook  
Chapter Closed**


	14. The 6th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Easy wake to make money post-game: Joshua, Day 4. Central St. doesn't actually take your Sexy+, ¥5000 pin. Four reductions at AMX don't take that long when you have Joshua's rapid-Faith, ¥5000 pin. Get the details on the mike, 777 hands you ¥30005 in pins in advance. ¥40005, plus whatever pins the Noise drop. Back to the chapter menu, Joshua Day 4, rinse and repeat.

Miku's theory looked to be spot-on - she and Kaito woke up for Day 6 on Pain Crave Bridge, the location of their last cancelled mission, nearly at the edge of DIVA District's domain. As they got to their feet, Kaito asked; "No mission yet?"

'Not yet,' Miku mouthed, shaking her head.

Kaito glanced around. "Well," he mused, "I kinda doubt it's gonna be here," he mused, "so what do you say we head to Rouge Square?"

To both Players' concern, they had received no message by the time they reached Rouge Square; more concerning still was the fact that Azuki and Matcha were both there, walling off the accesses to I_O Walk and Aqua Street.

"Hey," Azuki greeted. "Why so worried?"

"We haven't gotten a mission yet," Kaito admitted.

Azuki's smile fell. "Where on the bridge did you start?"

'The wall.'

"It never takes that long," Azuki muttered. "Did the kid get lazy?"

Kaito shook his head. "Maybe he just got sick of getting cancelled," he admitted. "What are your terms?"

"A couple Noise are clinging to people around here," Azuki replied. "Four at last count. Two for me, two for Matcha. You guys can pick who if you're feeling lazy."

Miku gave her a look.

"Didn't really think you would."

The Noise were taken out in short order; Miku had each Reaper take down her wall to be on the safe side before she and Kaito started down I_O Walk. Not getting any mission had Miku paranoid and Kaito nervous; they checked the Garden of the White Knight on their way to Ashes Square and found nothing. A stop by the concert hall in Silent Beat Alleyway revealed repairs were finally going on for the stage lights, but there were no Reapers to be found. Swordsman's Square was also empty as they passed by... but trying to turn onto Parallel Circuit in the direction of Tengaku Square met them with another wall, as did trying to continue past the intersection at Aqua Street.

"Okay," Kaito murmured, "I guess he doesn't want us to go to the memorial."

'No mission,' Miku pondered,'but there are walls up. Where else can't we go?'

Fire Child Sports Park was also walled off; so too was Amaretto in the direction of Starmine Square, and access to Cybernation Plaza. Access to 39, however, was unhindered on all sides; Miku felt this was a preferable result, but Kaito was worried. "What if it's a trap?"

 _We can handle any Noise they can throw at us_ , Miku tapped out _, and the Reapers still can't attack us themselves until Day 7. If he's waiting to issue the mission, 39 is smack in the middle of DIVA, which means it's an even line to anywhere in the district._

"...Okay, point," Kaito ceded.

With a roll of her eyes, Miku grabbed him by the arm and led him into the plaza - if the Reapers set any more sharks on them, she didn't want to risk him getting chomped because he was too far away for a warning. They were halfway to 39 itself before sigils manifested around them; the civilians flickered out as a flock of five raven Noise emerged, and Miku and Kaito quickly fell back to back.

"Are these the thieves you mentioned?" Kaito asked.

Miku nodded, quickly aiming a hand at one of the ravens; her  _Blossom_  ignited a fire that burned high enough to sear at the bird. Another one flew at Miku, who couldn't react before it managed to swipe its talons at her; her fire didn't fade out as it did, and a quick glance as her targeted bird faded out revealed her  _Innocent_ pin was missing. A third dove at Miku, prompting her to raise her dark barrier as the last pair dove at Kaito; he tried to hit them both with a fourfold wave, only for them both to survive and slash across his chest; when he tried to strike at it, he got no response, and he glanced down to find both pins missing.

"They took them!" he cried to Miku. "They got both my pins!"

A call of "Yoink!" drew their attention; they both turned to find Una in the air, seizing a raven Noise by the talons - and that Noise faded in an instant as she dropped to the ground. She turned round with a wicked smile on her face, revealing the microphone in her left hand as she tossed a pin up in her right; she quickly glanced at the surface before grinning at Kaito. "Oh, the coward's a coffin jockey!"

' _ **Don't call him a coward!**_ ' Miku roared soundlessly.

Una raised a hand tauntingly, middle and ring fingers closed, index and pinky raised, and thumb out. "You want it? Then come on over and get it!"

She started to dash out of the plaza, and Miku quickly warded off another raven dive with her  _Maple_ before grabbing Kaito's shoulder. 'Run!' she mouthed urgently.

"Can we?" he asked.

'I hope so!' Miku admitted, grabbing his arm and dragging him along as she dashed after the Reaper.

The birds' wings were not exactly made for speed; as they left the plaza, the civilians flickered back in, and a glance over their shoulders revealed the Noise had vanished. Una had fled down Aqua Street and detoured up Snowdust before taking a hard right onto Parallel Circuit - the wall blocking the way to Tengaku had vanished, and the two Players were hot on her heels as she crossed the square and charged down Two Kind Walk. She quickly detoured into the Flower Fight Memorial, and Kaito had the inside of the turn as they started in.

He entered the plaza... and a flash of light crossed the air he had just passed through. Miku couldn't stop herself before she ran smack into the wall; she tumbled to the pavement, and Kaito turned around in a shock. "Miku!?"

A chuckle from the side drew their attention; Ryuto was standing there, flipping a keypin like a coin. "Wasn't sure that was gonna work!" he admitted, knocking the pin into the air and slapping his hands together. A large Noise sigil appeared before him, and from it emerged what looked like a  _kangaroo_ \- its body was red, but its legs were blue Noise waves.

Una bashed her microphone against the heel of her palm, causing three more sigils to appear around her; Kaito turned as a swarm of pale blue jellyfish emerged, waves forming their tentacles. "Let's see how you dance!"

Miku quickly prioritized defending Kaito; she thrust her hand in the direction of one of the jellies, and to her relief a flame blazed beneath it, reaching high enough to burn it. The boomer behind her seemed to crack the pavement as it leapt into the air, and a skyward glance revealed it quickly peaked and dropped straight towards her, prompting her to dive out of the way as it landed. Kaito managed to dive between the jellies - which, concerningly, did not make to attack him; their pacifism quickly faded itself as they began to glow in sequence, and electricity seemed to pass between them.

With some difficulty, Miku managed to avoid the boomer's assault and take out one of the jellies; but to her and Kaito's dismay, the remaining two proceeded to twist around and surge to one side... leaving minute orbs that quickly expanded into more jellies. Una laughed, waving her pin tauntingly. "Come on, coward!" she taunted. "You wanna fight, come get your weapon! Don't leave the mutie hanging!"

Behind her, Miku saw a blur of white - and knew what it was. The only warning Una got was a clatter of footsteps before a hand grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around; then another hand slapped hers at an angle that made her hand twist, forcing her to release Kaito's  _Requiem_. Her attacker quickly leapt aside as Una realized who it was; the entire contact had lasted four seconds, and Una's face went from taunt to confusion to fury as she roared, " **Yowane!** "

Haku landed well away, pin in hand; she quickly called "Blue!" to get Kaito's attention, and as he turned she tossed the pin towards him. He caught it with relief as the jellies started to float towards him; he promptly turned towards Miku, and as the boomer reared back to charge at her, he swung the hand holding his pin down towards it.

The fivefold wave burst out around it, and Ryuto stumbled back with a cry of "Holy shit!"

Without worrying about her attacker, Miku put her focus on the jellies; Kaito started swinging at the group, and before long they were alone with the Reapers and Haku.

Una growled angrily. "You wingless bitch!" she snapped. "Could you go one Game without ruining someone's fun!?"

"Call me what you want," Haku reprimanded. "You were trying to bait him into attacking you so you could fight him yourself."

"So!?"

"Gumi ruled that as a violation  _last_ Game."

The eel-hatted Reaper fumed, looking like she wanted to strangle her. " _Oh!_ You're a little whore for the rules, aren't you!?"

She stormed towards Ryuto, who pounded his fist against the wall with the hand holding his keypin as he turned to glare at Miku. "Luck won't get you any further than this, tails!" he snapped. "Tomorrow's Day 7, and don't expect me to go  _easy_  on you like Kokone did! This time, you're gonna swim with the sprogs!"

He and Una stormed off, leaving the three alone at the memorial.

With a sigh, Kaito turned to Haku. "Thank you," he praised. "Um, Yowane, was it?"

"Call me Haku," the watcher assured him. "As Miku would tell you, if she could."

Kaito chuckled as he turned to his partner, who had drawn out her phone. "Another friend from your last Game?"

'Kinda,' Miku admitted, tapping at a memo for Haku.  _How did you know we were gonna be here?_

"Neru tipped me off," Haku replied. "Gakupo had to override three missions. Now, it's Day 6, and walls get set up, no mission gets sent, and Ryuto's borrowed a keypin? After the tantrum he threw last time he was on Support duty? Something was up. I noticed him on his way here and kept my eyes open."

"I'm glad you did," Kaito observed. "Thank you."

Haku shook her head. "Don't thank me yet. You're not out of the Game until the GM's been defeated. And Ryuto is going to have plenty of dirty tricks up his sleeves for tomorrow. Best of luck."

* * *

As the sun was on its way down, Ryuto and Una were on their way to their usual rooftop on I_O Walk. "I don't want you to pull any punches tomorrow," he insisted. "Tire the bastard out; rhinos, woollies, drakes-"

"I-I can't," Una interrupted, sounding worried. "You're on your own."

"What?!" Ryuto's mood darkened fast. "What do you mean!?"

Una shook her head. "I gotta talk to the Composer. I don't want her to handicap you because Haku told her about today.  _I_  tried to bait that blue,  _I'm_ the one who needs to be punished. I know you can handle her - if you're at your A game. Not if you're being chained down."

A low growl from Ryuto; then he stormed away, and Una sighed.

"I'm sorry..."

**Crossfade  
Chapter Closed**


	15. The 7th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I don't mean to hate on the hardcores, but unless you've got a friend with a mingle shop, aligning the Darklit Planets is only really worth it if WildKat is selling Black Jupiter. That way you can use the complete deck ON Panthera, instead of beating Panthera to GET the complete deck.
> 
> [EDITED: This complaint is no longer applicable as of Final Remix]

"You want to be Game Master?"

At Gumi's incredulous question, Una only nodded. "Yes. Please, Composer. I want a chance to remedy the mistakes Ryuto made this week. The illegal missions... I want to see them issued in a way that _doesn't_ defy the rules."

Gumi crossed her arms. "And that's the  _only_ reason?"

Una hung her head. "I won't deny there's more," she admitted. "If... if Ryuto doesn't survive today, I... I want the opportunity to erase them myself. Whoever survives to the next Game."

"I can't let you GM a Game for selfish reasons," Gumi insisted. "What if they both continue back to the RG? What will you do then?"

The question caused Una to fall quiet for a long moment. "...Then I'll serve as GM to the best of my abilities," she said finally. "I'll issue missions that don't break the rules, and do my damnedest to see the Players erased. And I'll accept any handicap for what I did yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Gumi asked. "What did you do yesterday?"

"Yowane hasn't told you?" Una was legitimately surprised at that. "I tried to bait that blue-headed Player into attacking me. She said you ruled that as a violation during the last Game."

"Only if you had actually attacked him in return," Gumi assured her. "If you didn't, you've nothing to worry about." She set a hand on the Reaper's shoulder. "We got new Players over this week. Next Game starts tomorrow. Meet me on top of 39 before midnight."

Una sighed in relief. "Thank you, Composer."

* * *

Kaito and Miku had been on their way back to 39 when their time for Day 6 ran out; now, as Day 7 began, they found themselves waking before the Flower Fight Memorial once again. "Lovely," Kaito murmured. "Sure, let's not stick around. Serves us right."

Miku shook her head, and had drawn out her phone to tap a memo when it went off - their message for the day had arrived.

 _Mission: The Game Master is a youth who delights in blaze. Defeat him._  
_You have 600 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers._

"You're right," Kaito observed, "that doesn't seem like him at all." He yelped in pain as the timer appeared. "Where are we gonna find him?"

 _It's a riddle_ , Miku tapped out _. They did the same thing for my last Game. A riddle based on where the GM is._

Kaito looked at the mission again. "Youth... blaze... fire. Fire Child Sports Park."

Miku gave him a wary look.  _Are you up for this?_

"Yeah," Kaito assured her. "I'm ready for this."

* * *

Azuki had a wall up at Starmine Square's access to Amaretto; apparently, Ryuto had figured out their 'decoy pin' ploy, and wanted any un-psyched pins left behind. The Support Reaper was surprisingly happy to compensated Miku for her  _Violet Butterfly_ ; then she took down the wall, and the two Players started onto the street and arrived at the sports park.

The area seemed empty; there was visibly no one on the basketball or tennis courts, but the stake park was too low for anyone to be seen who wasn't on their way up a ramp. Alas, as Miku started into the lowered zone, she was somewhat distressed to find it seemed to be empty; she turned round to find Kaito looking similarly worried.

"Did he make a break for it?" he wondered.

Miku had reason to doubt it, after Ryuto's parting words yesterday - trying to run away certainly didn't sound like Ryuto's idea of a takeout. As she started forward, she had a sudden rush of déjà vu - she and Luka had started here on Day 3 in her last Game.

And Luka had been...

A sudden, intense heat rose behind her; she spun round to see a towering flame rise up between her and Kaito. Both Players stumbled away from it, and the blaze expanded, a wall of fire curling around Kaito to trap him there.

"Hello, Players!"

The voice drew Miku's attention - as she had thought, Ryuto was in the rise in the center of the park, and he raised his wings threateningly as her stood upon the grinding edge. Kaito, however, could not see him; the wall of fire around him burned too high for him to sight the Reaper, and further, his voice seemed to echo from all directions. "Told you I wasn't gonna go easy on you, didn't I? This time, you're going  _down_ , mutie!"

Her being a 'mutie' was the only thing that stopped Miku from swearing so loud the Conductor would hear it. The wall of flames burned opaque; she couldn't see Kaito, nothing could convince her that Kaito could see her - or Ryuto. Given the way he'd acted this Game, Kaito wasn't about to risk possibly hitting Miku... and if he  _did_ hit her with his single-target blast, she didn't want to wager her luck of surviving if she didn't have time to raise her barrier.

She had to fight the Game Master alone.

Ryuto leapt over the ledge, sliding down the rise; his wings, so big they dragged on the ground as he walked, ripped up  _sparks_ as they ground against the pavement. As he leveled out, a surge of wind burst out around them, and Miku felt that familiar shifting into a battlefield where her psychs would work. Ryuto dragged his left sleeve up his arm, and then his right sleeve; then he raised his arms parallel before his face, glaring between them. Noise lines adorned his arms, and swept them down at his sides as his wings gleamed.

Miku saw him move the moment the gleam faded; she quickly raised her barrier as he charged forward, his fist wrapped in  _black_ flame. The blow slammed into her defense, and though it didn't strike her, it was enough to send her skidding backward; he only ground one foot against the ground before charging after her. Miku tried to light a flame beneath him, and though he seemed to wince slightly as he crossed its path, it didn't slow him down; he raised his other hand, and the same flames adorned it as he tried to bring it down in a knifehand strike. She managed to sidestep the blow, yet the air around the wake seemed to be  _chilled_ \- but not an icy chill. This felt more like the cold hand that crosses one's body as death reaches for them.

The Reaper arced into a spin, those dark flames trailing from his leg as he made to kick at her; Miku had no chance to raise her barrier before the blow landed on her side, throwing her across the park. She tumbled roughly into the rise, and as she got to her feet she tried to light her fire on him again - yet Ryuto only laughed, walking forward through the flames, his wings dragging on the ground. "You can't fight fire with fire, mutie!" he taunted. "Adding heat to heat only makes things _hotter!_ "

The mention of heat drew Miku's attention to his wings; their movement was still leaving a trail of sparks, and she realized with a spark of inspiration that a Reaper's wings were  _metallic_. Inspiration struck her, and she charged forward; as Ryuto made to land another blazing blow, she sidestepped his cold flames and grabbed him by the left wing.

"What are you-!?"

He couldn't finish before she pulled, hard; Reaper he might have been, but Ryuto was small and his wings were little but frames, and he yelled in pain as she lifted him off the ground and slammed him roughly to the ground. His wings clattered against the ground, and the ring of flames around Kaito started to lower; Miku raised her dark barrier while he was trapped beneath him, and the contact with the barrier had Ryuto yelling in pain.

She saw too late the black fire gathering around his black wings.

When it blazed, she had no chance to react; the blast knocked her back, throwing her into the rise hard enough to kill her barrier and knock the wind out of her. Ryuto slammed a blazing fist to the ground, his wings still alight as he whirled around, and as Miku tumbled down the rise he charged toward her, yelling, " _You little **shit!**_ " She saw his approach and tried to raise her barrier again, but he only leapt into the air, and flames seemed to burn in the air around him like a meteor as he slammed down on her prone form; pinned between the blow and the pavement, it couldn't send her flying, and the barrier faded out as he slammed his knees down on her stomach.

One hand went to her chest before she could fight him, ripping the pins from her shirt and throwing them aside; then he slammed that hand across her face, leaving her seeing stars before he raised it above him and flames ignited on it.

Something else burst around him.

Ryuto  _screamed_ as a fivefold blast of black waves ripped up around him, throwing him from atop Miku. Weakly, Miku glanced towards the wall of flames - but there were no flames. Kaito stood there, his hand down after a swing, and his face bore the look of quiet rage that Miku knew all too well as he stepped forward; when he spoke, it was to a tune that she had heard him sing before.

* * *

Una knew, even as she dashed down Amaretto, that she couldn't fight the Players herself; yet she was pleading, hoping that she would be there soon enough to back Ryuto up. Alas, as she reached the park, Ryuto's scream echoed in her ears; she dashed up to the railing at the edges of the skater zone in time to see him landing on the pavement. The twin-tailed Player, Miku, had been trapped under him, and the blue-hair, Kaito, was stepping forward.

" _Hai wa hai ni..._ "

He swung his arm across, and another blast ripped up around him, throwing him back towards a nearby wall; Una's cry went unheard as the attacker spoke again.

" _Chiri wa chiri ni..._ "

Another blast slammed Ryuto into the wall, and Una saw his wings start to fade out from the tips as he struggled to rise, glaring. "What... the hell..." he gasped. "Who are you?! What happened to that _coward!?_ "

"Don't call me a coward!" Kaito yelled.

"You  **were!** " Ryuto yelled. "Where did this courage come from!? It was only yesterday you couldn't even fight a jelly, you were  **scared!** "

" _I still am!_ "

Ryuto didn't get the chance to ask what he meant; Kaito thrust his his hand forward, and Una screamed as the blast ripped up around him. Ryuto slumped to the ground, and his body began to fade out, burning away in his own black fires.

The last embers faded, and Una fell to her knees; tears trailed down her face, and her hand slammed to the pavement as it came up before her, barely strong enough to support her.

"Ryuto..."

Her scream echoed around the sports park, drowning out the latent Noise.

**Condemned  
Chapter Closed**


	16. The Next Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Before we start this chapter, I'm going to remind everyone about Joshua's line that every UG has its own rules. This is the first chapter where that really becomes relevant.

"Terrible disaster in Diola yesterday as construction workers on their way out of the city lost control of a roadroller on I_O Walk in the District for Imaginative and Vocal Attitudes. Thirteen vehicles were damaged before the roller came to a stop in the river running through the Garden of the White Knight, injuring seven drivers and three passengers. Kagamine Rin and Len, age 19, were discovered to have swerved in an effort to avoid the roller and crashed into a nearby power line, dying of electric shock. The Kagamine twins are both prominent members of Glory Music, leading some to believe that the recent tragedies have been orchestrated by someone with a grudge against the band."

Megurine Luka was sitting in a restaurant at Ashes Square, sipping slowly at a drink as she waited for the garçon. The news report playing on a nearby television had only confirmed her suspicions when Len and Rin had failed to meet her en route; alas, not wanting their reservations to go to waste, she had arrived nonetheless, hoping they would survive the Game as she had.

"However, those with other information beg to differ. This morning, Diola police reported that Zero Léon, a visitor from the city of Gravita, has confessed to the murder of Sakine Meiko. Zero explained that he had been attempting to poison another customer in the bar Sakine had visited the night before her death, asking a waitress to deliver a drink to the 'redhead lady'. The waitress misunderstood his instruction and gave the drink to Sakine instead; upon discovering this, Zero turned himself in willingly."

A hint of blue in the corner of her vision drew Luka's attention; she raised her gaze to find Honki Kaito stepping into the restaurant. "Kaito!" she called, raising a hand to get his attention. "Over here!"

"L-Luka..." Kaito made his way to the table; he almost ran smack into the approaching waiter as she did, taking a seat beside him.

"Is this gentleman among your company tonight, miss?"

"Yes," Luka lied, thinking quickly. "However, the other has canceled on short notice."

"Then, shall I take your orders now?"

Once they had made their requests, the garçon took off; then Luka turned to Kaito. "You survived the Game," she mused quietly.

"As did you," Kaito observed. "Were you gonna meet the others here?"

"You just missed the report," Luka admitted, beckoning to the television set. "Rin and Len were killed yesterday. Runaway roadroller."

"And Meiko?"

"Poisoned," Luka replied. "They found her dead... if you just got back, it would've been your Day 2."

Kaito sighed. "I wish they didn't have to go through that," he murmured. "I hate that I was like that."

Luka sounded concerned at that. "What was your fee?"

"Fee?" Kaito raised his gaze. "What do you mean?"

"They take what's most dear to you at the start of the Game," Luka explained. "Survive the round, and they'll return it. What was wrong with you?"

The blue-haired bandmate set a hand against his forehead. "I was... terrified," he admitted. "Of everything. The Noise, the Reapers... even my own psych."

Luka closed her eyes. "Your courage," she realized. "Glory Music's badass, and they turned you into a kid who had too many run-ins with the pumpkin king."

After a moment, Kaito raised his gaze. "Did this happen to you?" he asked.

"You mean the 'sudden feeling that I need to go to this place for no reason'?" Luka nodded. "Yeah. I found Rin and Len at 39 the day after my Game ended. I think it was the day you died."

"I was out past midnight," Kaito confirmed. "Technically speaking, yeah, that'd be..."

He fell quiet at that, and they ate their meal in silence.

* * *

"Was Miku still there?"

On their way out of the restaurant, Luka asked about her partner. Kaito paused for a moment before driving his knuckles into his forehead. "Dammit," he muttered. " _Dammit._ "

Luka narrowed her gaze. "What?" she asked. "What happened? She didn't-"

"No," Kaito confirmed, "she- she didn't get erased. But... I didn't recognize her. I didn't remember anything about her."

"What!?" Luka sounded worried at that. "Nothing? I thought that..."

Kaito turned to her. "Something happen with you, too?"

"The same thing," Luka confirmed. "But she didn't recognize  _me_ , either. I... We thought that maybe they took our friendship as my fee, but why would that happen to you?"

"I don't think it did," Kaito admitted. "I... On Day 1, this Reaper was taunting Miku. She called me a coward, and Miku almost charged at her. And then... I said 'Your name's Miku?' and she looked... terrified.  **She** remembered  **me**. Why didn't I remember her?"

Luka shook her head. "I don't know."

Kaito sighed. "We should try to help," he prompted.

That earned him a laugh as Luka turned to him. "Help?" she asked. "How can we help anyone in the Reaper's Game?"

"Well..." Kaito's expression implied that he hadn't exactly thought this through.

"Rin and Len and I were talking about that," Luka observed. "They were in Swordsman's Square when we had a mission there. Miku and I didn't notice them. I think there's something about the UG that stops us from noticing people we know in the RG. Maybe even the other way around. That would explain why Players in the shops don't make people freak out about dead men walking.

"So, what do we do?" Kaito asked.

Luka shook her head. "We try not to be Players again."

**Farewell Song  
Chapter Closed**


	17. The 1st Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> For some reason, TWEWY shopkeepers make me want to buy something (with my Scarletite even!) just because I walked in to scan the selections, but IRL shopkeepers completely fail to induce guilt for me walking in, finding nothing I'm looking for, and walking out again.

Meiko opened her eyes.

She was lying on her back, smack in the middle of Rouge Square. As she started to rise, something fell off her chest, and she found a black pin clattering to the ground, its white skull gazing up at her. That quickly faded out, however, when she realized what she  _looked_ like - and what she was wearing. Her body was adorned in an outfit she hadn't worn since her freshman year, primarily because that when she'd had the body to pull it off - which raised the question of why she  _could_ pull it off  _now_.

"Okay, then," Meiko murmured. "I thought it was heaven that gave you your ideal body."

She picked up the skull Pin as she got to her feet, slipping it into her pocket - and she heard it clatter against something. Curious, she dug her hand in and drew out the two pins she found in there; the other had what looked like a diamond in bright blue, against a dark surface patterned like water with a black streak across it (on closer inspection, it appeared to be a belt, for its silver buckle was visible). "Is this my 'psych'?" she wondered aloud, turning the pin in hand; the opposite side had only the name, _Blue Crystal_ , to interrupt the polished silver surface.

A buzz from her pocket drew her attention; her phone (which she had carelessly left on vibrate) had gone off, and she quickly drew out and checked the message that had arrived.

 _Mission: Reach 39_  
_You have 60 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Well, that shouldn't be too-"

Meiko cut herself off when a jolt of pain ripped through one hand; on her palm appeared crimson numbers, a time that was slowly decreasing.

"Ah. They time us."

Her sarcastic smile faded when she heard a strange sound, like someone slapping the surface of gelatin; she raised her gaze to find a school of  _jellyfish_  in pale blue floating nearby, their tentacles made from strange, insubstantial blue waves.

"Oh, dammit," she muttered, "let's make that a hurry!"

* * *

 _No way in hell are we gonna let some brat GM's aftermath make you start the game pinless!_  
_~Azuki & Matcha_

Miku had woken up in Ashes Square on the first day of her third Game with that note clutched in her hands; a scan of her pockets had revealed her  _Blossom_ and  _Maple_ pins were back in her possession, along with her Player Pin (which she tended to not keep on her shirt) and a new one. It had the same pale surface, with what seemed to be a stylized snowflake in light aqua; around it was the same writing -  Beneath a thousand cherry trees... \- and on the back was its name,  _Azure Snow_.

Jellies were not particularly fast-moving Noise in battle, but somehow managed to keep pace with a rapidly-dashing Player; Miku had deliberately passed 39 as she searched for another Player to make a pact with, and was nearly to Rouge Square when she found someone dashing out onto I_O Walk - a teenaged brunette girl in a black-trimmed green skirt and a green top that bared her midriff. Miku quickly raised her hand to wave her down; this time the other Player noticed her, and she quickly approached over.

"You're a Player?" The voice had a familiar ring to it, though hard to place in a pressing situation. "Will you make a pact with me?"

Miku nodded, offering her hand, and the other Player seized it, causing the blue light of the pact to surge up around them. The quickly turned their attention to the jellies that had chased Miku here; she wanted to know quick how her  _Azure Snow_ pin worked, and she experimentally swung her arm up the way Kaito had triggered his  _Requiem_.

That got a reaction - a blade of _ice_ surged out of the ground and impaled one of the jellies, knocking it into the air as it faded. Her partner had her fist closed around a pin as she thrust it forward, and a silvery-blue figure manifested beside her, arcing through the air and homing on on a moving jelly. It slammed into the Noise and shattered, the fragments dematerializing, and Miku lit a fire with her  _Blossom_ pin beneath the struck jelly to cross it out. Her partner's projectiles proved very rapid fire, and between the two of them, they managed to take out the school of Noise in short order.

Once they were alone, the brunette sighed, glancing at the pin in her hand. "Well, that happened." She turned to face Miku, attaching the pin to her top. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for the pact." She offered her hand again, this time as a greeting. "I'm Sakine Meiko."

Miku's jaw dropped, and she stumbled back in shock. Meiko's face fell as the twintailed Player gave her a thorough once over - she was the oldest member of their group, now she looked younger than Miku had ever known her! "What? Oh, do... do you know about me?" She chuckled awkwardly, glancing down at herself and holding her hands out at her sides. "Yeah, I'm not sure where this came from either."

Her palm was facing Miku, and the sight of the Player's timer counting down caused Miku to glance at her own. Meiko seemed to come to the same conclusion; both of them quickly dashed in the direction of 39, not wanting to let their time run out.

* * *

"Man, I  **hate** concurrent Games..."

Revo Cul was pacing before the 39 Building, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. They'd only gotten one week between Kokone's week and Ryuto's; now they were starting still another Game, they day after Gacha had eaten his own flames.

A pair of rapidly-moving figures drew her attention; Players had arrived in the Plaza. And not just any Players, either; Cul recognized the twintails of the Player in the lead, and stepped forward curiously as they came to a stop, panting. "Hello again," she greeted. "Who did you piss off?"

"Who?" Meiko raised her gaze to find a red-haired figure approaching them, skeletal black wings emerging from her back. "Wait, a... a Reaper?" She took a defensive stance.

"Cool your jets, greenhorn," the Reaper insisted, "I'm not in the mood right now." She turned to her partner. "What's got you in here again?"

Meiko blinked at that. "Again!?"

The Reaper turned to her. "You don't know? Of course you don't know, the whole silent thing." She jabbed her thumb in the twin-tailed Player's direction. "Miku here is a proper veteran. This is her third Game running."

"What!?"

Cul shook her head with a sigh. "You know what, no. I'm not giving you a round with Noise, you're just gonna make them eat shit." She stepped back. "Best of luck, you two. Una's not gonna make it easy on you."

She turned and stepped away, and once Meiko was sure it wasn't a trick she turned to her partner. "Miku, was it? What does she mean, this is your third Game running? I thought..."

Miku reached into her pocket, drawing out her phone; she quickly opened a memo and tapped at the screen a couple times before turning it to face her.

_It's gonna be a long story._

**Nostalogic  
Chapter Closed**


	18. The 2nd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Meiko, as a character, is not the teenaged Sakine Meiko in this fic. But I chose to use the name 'Sakine Meiko' because it was fitting for events that would occur later on; plus, the name and related design have been officially acknowledged by Crypton. Contrarywise, 'Shion' is not Kaito's family name, nor does it apply to any variations of which I am aware, nor have I found any official acknowledgement of it, thus I have no reason to use that name. Plus, 'Shion' sounds unpleasantly like 'Xion' and knowing me I'd be the first person to improperly transcribe that while I'm reading lines aloud.  
> ...is what I'd like to say. And in fairness, all of that is true. To be perfectly honest, though, I had no idea Kaito had a family name given to him by the fandom.

_"Welcome, and congratulations."_

_Miku knew where she had been before she even opened her eyes; the nightlit forest had a quiet just short of silence in the absence of spoken word. She needed not even rise; she and Kaito woke standing amidst steely trees, and when they turned on hearing the voice, Kamui stood there with his fan in hand._

_Kaito stepped back warily when he saw the blade sheathed at his hip. "Are... Are you the Conductor?"_

_"Ah." Kamui smiled lightly. "Has Hatsune already told you? That saves me the trouble." What followed were all too familiar, and Miku wondered if the Conductor was **required** to recite this word for word, or simply did so out of professionalism. "As per the Composer's mandate, the number of Players to be given new life in the aftermath of this Game is... one."_

_Miku had no reason to be surprised; it seemed the Composer had a fondness for single-player victories. Nor did Kaito show much surprise for himself; she guessed her second Game running had clued him in to the likelihood of only one Player getting through._

_A light breeze travelled through the trees, and Kamui raised his fan. "Your performance has been judged, and the Player to be reborn, decided." The surface was spread. "Congratulations..._

_"Honki Kaito."_

_Kaito stumbled back. "What? No. Why me? Miku's been... This was her second time through! She should be the one to-"_

_"We do not judge Players by their past achievements," Kamui insisted. "In the aftermath of the Reaper's Game, only that game's events serve as criteria for judgement. This was decided by the Composer Herself."_

_When Kaito began to object, Miku set a hand against his back; then, when he fell quiet, she began to move her fingers._

_Go_

_"...Go?"_

_Find your courage again_

_Warily, Kaito stepped forward; and as Miku pulled her hand away, his body faded in a shining light._

_"Now, to the Players who survived the Reaper's Game, allow me to return your entry fees."_

_The wind howled, and Miku gasped lightly from the chill - and her voice was heard. She turned her gaze on Kamui, whose serene expression seemed to falter._

_"...You seem to have something to say to me," he observed, folding his fan. "I get the feeling it's not to do with your partner's fee this time."_

_"Then I hope you're wrong," Miku insisted._

_Kamui sounded concerned at that. "Honki valued his courage. His willingness to defend his friends."_

_"I thought so," Miku replied. "Then why didn't he recognize me?"_

_"What?"_

_Miku shook her head. "I knew him. You didn't take our friendship this time. **I** knew him. But he didn't know  **me**. He didn't recognize me. He didn't even realize who I was! And more than that, I couldn't tell him! I tried to... type it on my phone, and the memo turned empty. I tried to write it on paper, and the writing disappeared!"_

_Kamui set his folding fan against his chin. "That is most concerning," he mused. "Indeed, that was not part of his fee, nor of yours. I had nothing to do with this. I shall speak with the Composer on this matter." He lowered his fan, and three familiar lights - gold, crimson, and dark cobalt - appeared before him. "In the meantime, however, you are a surviving Player, and the dawn of the next game approaches. I require your answer."_

_"Do you have to ask?" Miku asked._

_"You last answered to enter the Reaper's Game again," Kamui admitted, "and that game has ended."_

_"Another round," Miku proclaimed. "And another, and another. If I get erased, it'll be to the Noise. Otherwise, I'm going back - however long it takes."_

_The wind howled again, and this time her gasp was silent._

_"Well spoken."_

* * *

When Miku woke the next day, she found herself at Starmine Square. Meiko - she still had trouble seeing this teenager, younger than Miku had been when they'd met, as  _Meiko_ \- was curled up on the pavement, shifting slightly in the matter of one who had woken up and just wanted to go back to sleep.

 _Was that her fee?_ Miku wondered.  _What she looked like?_ She shook her head.  _That doesn't make any sense. Most people would give anything for the body they had in high school. How is that a punishment?_

A thought rose in her mind... and quickly dispersed.  _Nobody can love sake **that** much._

Her phone went off to tell her the mission had arrived; Meiko groaned and started to rise as she pulled her phone out. "Alright, alright, I'm up." She glanced at her partner lazily for a moment, and Miku raised a hand to stifle a fit of silent giggles on realizing that Meiko had been using her arm as a pillow - and now had a big red band across one eye. "...What's the mission?"

 _Mission: Move to the goth metal in the east_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

It seemed that the current Game Master shared the higher-ups' penchant for riddles.  _East... that'll be in Swordsman's Square, won't it?_ The timer struck their hands as they got up, counting down from 90; Meiko re-pocketed her phone with a groan.

"Alright. Miku was it? Let's get moving."

With a strike of concern, the twin-tailed Player realized that Meiko didn't remember her any more than Kaito did. Whatever had happened in her last Game, it seemed to have carried over to this Game - Kamui hadn't had the chance yet to find or end the cause. Concerned, she followed Meiko out onto Snowdust Street; they quickly saw Azuki standing on the opposite side of the Aqua Street intersection, and Miku anticipated a wall between them and Swordsman's Square.

She was certainly right on that front.

Meiko was halfway across the intersection when she collided with the barrier. She cried out, bouncing off at an angle towards Rouge Square, and Miku's mood quickly shifted from concern to panic. Azuki, who had been facing the other way, promptly turned as Miku ran up to the wall, setting her hand on it; it wasn't along a crosswalk, but cut the intersection in half north-to-south.

"Miku?" The Support Reaper stepped forward. "You're in the Game  _again?_ "

"What is this?" Meiko's protest drew Azuki's attention as Miku drew out her phone. "Did you set this up?"

Azuki sighed. "Well, that explains Una's instructions."

Meiko glared. "Who's Una?"

"The Game Master," Azuki replied. "She sends the missions and she tells us where to put the walls. She told us to set the walls up north-to-south and only let Players clear them from the east."

Miku pressed her phone against the wall, showing the memo she'd tapped out to Azuki.  _This can't be legal. The Conductor was overriding missions because they were impossible to clear. We'll get erased if we can't clear the mission._

"Technically," Azuki corrected, "you'll get erased if  **nobody** can clear the mission."

Those words caught Miku off-guard, and she pulled back in surprise; Meiko glanced between them before asking the Reaper; "What do you mean, if 'nobody' can clear the mission?"

"You didn't know? You're not the only two Players in this Game."

* * *

"Watch where you're swinging that thing!"

"They're not that heavy, move a little!"

Avex Lily was perched on her bike in front of Swordsman's Square; Una had instructed her to set a few corehogs on whatever Players came her way. Sure enough, a pair of pactmates had found their way to the mission destination; a boy and a girl who didn't get along too well. A fight with a mere three Noise had knocked the Players' timers down to fifty minutes, and as they finally crossed the last one out, they turned to her.

"Had enough?" the girl demanded.

Lily smirked, starting her bike's engine with a roar. "Yeah," she admitted, slinging a leg over the seat to mount it properly. "Had enough. I don't have any popcorn."

The Reaper quickly took off, speeding down Snowdust Street; Rin and Len gave desynchronized sighs. "How much time did that cost us?" Rin muttered, glancing at her palm.

**49:47**

"No problem," Len mused. "We can take on any 'goth metal' in fifty minutes, easy."

"Not if you keep swinging at me, we can't," Rin muttered, starting into the square.

"I wasn't aiming at you!" Len reprimanded. "I was aiming at the Noise!"

Rin scoffed. "Could've fooled me."

Len groaned. "They're not big enough for two people to come at them from the same direction! Walk around it if you're gonna charge in first, why don't you?"

"Don't act like-"

A fierce roar cut them off; the two Players turned to find a massive Noise fading in before the kendo dojo. Its body was draconic, and a blue so dark it was nearly black; yellow spikes emerged from its wings, and its feet were formed from waves in dark hues. Its head and tail were gradient waves, shifting from yellow to orange to dark red to deep blue as they got further from its body; its tail was spiked, and its head bore vicious horns.

"Oh, brilliant."

Rin raised her hands, one-two; as their upward momentum faded, an orange light seemed to flow from her hands, forming a pair of strange blades - their shapes similar to basket-hilted rapiers, but sharpened on the edge opposite the hilt where she grasped them.

Len arced one hand into a round swing before him like a clock's hand; at the 12 o'clock position, a yellow light surged out around his palm, forming a long shape - a hooked shape like an old-fashioned gentleman's cane, which he seized in the center of its shaft.

"Follow my lead!"  
"Screw that!"

* * *

Lily came across a most concerning sight as she neared the crossroads of Snowdust and Aqua Streets. Azuki was sitting there, and the presence of Support during a mission indicated there was a wall in the UG to block the Players - and the Reapers. She quickly twisted her bike into a skid, and not a moment too soon; as Azuki scrambled out of the way, her bike had lost just enough momentum that it collided just lightly with the wall, halting.

The two Players on the other side of the wall let out relieved sighs... one of which was silent.

"Miku?" Lily pulled her bike away from the wall and dismounted it. "What are you doing here for round three?"

Her teenaged partner turned on Miku with a sharp look. "What, did you get chummy with _all_ the Reapers over your last two Games?"

'Not all,' Miku mouthed.

A chuckle as her partner turned to Lily. "Sakine Meiko," she introduced. "Guess your stunts aren't as death-defying as I thought."

"I became a Reaper  _before_  I got my bike, thank you very much," Lily reprimanded. "I've got enough cocky younglings making fun of me for being a Reaper _and_ a stuntswoman."

Meiko's expression became one of concern as Azuki spoke up. "So, what did you think of the other two?" she asked.

Lily grinned. "I was gonna hit Galaxias, grab a pack of Star Bits, and come back to watch them bicker," she admitted. Then, her face falling slightly, "Really hope they wise up, though. That boy was kinda cute."

Azuki laughed. "Well, now the Noise are gonna eat his ass."

She realized how that sounded an instant too late, slamming her hands to her mouth in embarrassment. Lily glared as her face turned bright crimson; Miku made a face somewhere between disgust and confusion, and Meiko coughed awkwardly before she spoke. "I'm already assuming that came out wrong when I ask 'What do you mean'."

"Let's just say Lily's heart melts at room temperature," Azuki explained as she moved her hands away. "Feels like every other Game she's crushing on a cute Player. And none of her crushes have ever survived to fight the Game Master. I mean, with Ryuto erased and Una on GM duty, his chances are better than most, but..."

Miku was pondering.  _Two who bicker that badly? Only one's a guy? It couldn't be..._

* * *

One day, Rin would learn that jumping on the tail of a giant winged creature was a bad idea.

Today was not that day. The drake was grounded, and it wasn't fast enough to follow the two-bladed Player as she slashed along its side. Len - voluntarily or not - was keeping it busy from the front, his cane giving him the reach necessary to strike at it and have ample warning if it tried to bite him or blast him. The Noise's tail was waving absently behind it; as Rin brought her blades in a double strike, causing the Noise to flash, it lashed towards her, and she quickly leapt towards it, as close to the base as she could. Even the part of its body formed from waves had enough substance to it for her to not only land upon it, but stick her blades into it, causing it to flash with every other strike as she seemed to rock climb up its body.

To her great displeasure, however, the Noise  **reared back** just as she was getting onto its solid body, throwing her lower onto its tail. Len leapt aside as its head lunged forward, and a stream of flames surged out of its mouth, swathing Swordsman's Square in searing heat. Unseeing of what was happening to his partner, Len swung at the underside of its jaw with his cane, causing its mouth to slam shut and grinding its fangs together; the drake flinched in response, its tail jerking skyward, and Rin was sent flying skyward with a scream.

She saw not a moment too late where her trajectory would take her, and quickly turned her blades in hand to enable it. The Noise couldn't react before she drove both edges into the waves of its neck - and at the same time, Len brought his cane into a two-handed downward swing on the drake's head. The simultaneous blows had the Noise flashing, and its body seemed to go limp as it faded out; Rin was left with no warning before she had nothing to stand on, and a grunt broke out as she hit the pavement.

"Warn me before you make it do that!" she snapped.

"What were you climbing on its tail for, anyway?" Len protested.

"I was trying to get on its back!" Rin insisted. "Get a good angle, I could put a knife in its heart!"

"It's made of... tattoos in the air!" Len reprimanded. "You think it has a heart?"

"Why did going for its head do so much, then?" Rin argued.

"Damn thing was about to go down anyway!" Len insisted. "We were beating on it for, what, half an hour?" He glanced at his palm and found it blank - they were off the clock. "There, see? Mission clear. Told you we weren't pressed for time."

"Oh, listen to you," Rin snapped. "You act like you took that thing down all yourself!"

"And you did so much more than I did?" Len reprimanded.

"It would've taken you  _twice_ as long on your own!" Rin proclaimed. "Maybe more, slow hits like that!"

" _Stronger_ hits than your weak little one-twos!" Len countered back. "Like to see you try and take a giant thing on your own when you can't even stun it!"

Rin sneered. "That's a challenge."

Len scoffed. "You gonna put your money where your mouth is?"

Oh, hell yeah. "Pact made, pins work," Rin observed. "I bet you anything I can find tomorrow's Noise and take it down  _without_ you."

"You're on."

"Don't vex me."

**Knife  
Chapter Closed**


	19. The 3rd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You know, TWEWY would work perfect as a Virtual Console game for the WiiU. Especially if they included a little modification to let an auxiliary controller handle the partner, let you enjoy the Game with two Players.

_Rin opened her eyes._

_She was lying on the ground at the Flower Fight Memorial. With a weak groan, she got to her feet, finding the black Pin with its skull lying where her hand had been. She quickly picked it up, looking around - and she was surprised to find someone else doing the same, just barely far enough that neither of them could grab one another's shoulders. A boy who looked about her age, with messy blonde hair; his baggy white shirt had black trim around the collar and sleeves, and his black shorts had yellow straps not far from the hems._

_"H-Hello," he greeted; his voice that of someone who wasn't completely awake yet and rather wanted to be._

_"You're... a Player?" Rin asked awkwardly, raising her black Pin._

_"Yeah." The boy held out his hand to reveal an identical Pin in his grasp. "W-Would you make a pact with me?"_

_"Sure."_

_That confirmation was enough; a blue light surged out from beneath them, and Rin raised her hand to cover her eyes as it soared skyward. When it faded, the two pactmates got to their feet, and she spoke again; "I'm Rin."_

_"Len," he greeted, offering the hand that wasn't holding his Player Pin._

_She accepted it, and a buzz from their pockets drew their attention; both of their phones had gone off. Rin quickly released Len's hand and reached in, drawing out her device to find a new message waiting._

_"Mission: Reach 39," Rin read aloud. "You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure. The Reapers."_

_"I can read, thanks," Len reprimanded._

_Rin's gaze shot up. "You got the same message?"_

_Len smirked, waggling his phone tauntingly. "You didn't think they were gonna send the mission to just one- Ow!"  
_

_"Ah!" Both Players grasped their opposite hands - and found crimson numbers counting down. "Well, that's creepy," Rin observed._

_"Yeah," Len agreed. "We'd better get going."_

_The two started towards Two Kind Walk - and quickly ran into something. An unseen barrier stood at the edge of the memorial plaza; both of them ran into it, stumbling back. "Ow..."_

_"What the hell?" Len slammed his hand against it, causing white hexagons to rise up in the air before them. "They trapped us here?"_

_Someone was dashing down the walk, turning towards the memorial - a green-haired figure dressed largely in white, who looked rather hurried. To their surprise, she proceeded to walk right through the barrier, passing between them; then she turned around, and both Players yelped as a pair of skeletal black wings appeared on her back._

_"Sorry I'm a little late."_

_"What the hell!?" Len demanded. "You're a-"_

_"Reaper, yes," the newcomer confirmed. "Can we save this for later? You guys are on the clock."_

_Rin pounded the barrier with her fist. "Hello?"_

_"I know," the Reaper insisted, "that's why I'm here. Do as I say, and I'll let you through." Glancing between them; "You two found your psych pins yet?"_

_"Psych?" Rin reached into her pockets, finding her phone in her right pocket and three pins in her left. She quickly drew the pins out; one was her Player Pin, which she returned to the pocket. Another had a very dark blue surface, decorated with a pair of red-handled scissors crossed with a silver sewing needle; the last was bright yellow, with what looked like a stuffed panda back-to-back with a stuffed polar bear. "These ones?"_

_"I think so," Len admitted, affixing something to his shirt. He had a panda-and-polar-bear pin, too, as well as a very dark red pin decorated with a long hooked cane in white and a black top hat with a blue ribbon._

_The Reaper nodded. "Okay, then, let's give you a crash course."_

_She snapped her fingers, and black sigils rose up around her - and from those sigils emerged what looked like_ _**jellyfish**._

* * *

Day 3 found Rin and Len lying in the Silent Beat Alleyway when they woke up. They stared at one another for a drowsy moment; then yesterday came back to them, and they were pointedly retreating from one another as they got to their feet.

"Alright," Len mused. "What's today's mission? If you wanna take it on yourself, I need to make sure I'm going the other way."

As though on cue, their phones went off; Rin dug her right hand into her pocket, and Len withdrew his with his left.

 _Mission: Dance to the orientation in the southwest_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Southwest," Rin murmured. "That'll be... the sports park."

"Okay, then," Len sighed. "You have some fun."

He started towards Ashes Square, and Rin made her way out to Cybernation Plaza.

* * *

"A one-sided lack of familiarity?"

Gumi had been worried that Una would end up breaking GM rules in her effort to issue Ryuto's missions. Una, however, had planned every aspect of this week in advance, and had gladly handed over her plans for Gumi to scan. She  **was**  being rather exploitative about there being more than one pair of Players this game, but no rules were being broken; alas, the details had taken two days for Gumi to confirm, and Gakupo had been unable to report the anomaly until the start of Day 3.

"Yes," Gakupo confirmed. "It wasn't a matter of fee; we took Honki's courage at the start of the Game. He did not recognize Hatsune, but Hatsune recognized him. Further," he continued, "she could not relay this information to him - she confirmed failed attempts with both the use of her cell phone, and with pen on paper."

"Now that's out there," Gumi murmured. "I've never seen something like that happen before."

"You mean to say that you don't know what has caused this?" Gakupo asked.

"If I knew what had caused this," Gumi admitted, "would I hide it from you? My Conductor, of all people?" She shook her head. "You know, this might be bigger than Reapers."

Gakupo was caught off-guard by that. "Bigger than...? You don't mean-"

Gumi nodded. "Yes. I want to talk to the Producer about this. If there's an outside problem in DIVA during the judgement, I want to make sure the ones involved are aware."

"...Understandable." Gakupo bowed lightly. "Is there anything I can do in the meantime? Should I observe for... repeat events?"

"I'm not sure we'd be able to tell," Gumi admitted. "With the current set of entry fees, we wouldn't know if it was happening to anyone else..."

* * *

Meiko and Miku had woken up in Swordsman's Square; they, too, had figured out that Una's mission today was in Fire Child Sports Park. Unfortunately, Una had set up walls to keep them off Parallel Circuit; the lack of Support Reapers told them this wasn't another 'only accessed from one side' setup, and they started up Snowdust Street. Miku had tapped Meiko a veritable lecture on the UG yesterday, sharing everything she knew after two straight Games - the missions, the shops, Support and Harriers, entry fees, Day 7, the Conductor, everything.

The more Miku had told her, the more Meiko had a feeling she had heard a lot of this before.

As they stepped into Ashes Square, they saw a familiar figure crossing the area; Meiko quickly broke into a run, waving him down. "Hey, Len!"

"Who?" Len raised his gaze, confused. "Wait, are you... Players? Is that why..."

Meiko stumbled to a stop. "You don't recognize me?"

Len looked at her for a moment... and then pulled back, surprised. " _Meiko!?_ Are you Meiko!?"

"Yes, I'm Meiko," she sighed.

"Hot damn," Len mused, giving her a once over. "What, did you wake up next to the fountain of youth or something?"

Meiko angled her head. "Well..."

Miku was tapping at a memo, and stopped Meiko from saying anything further by holding it out for Len to see.  _Where's your partner? You didn't take out the target yesterday without a partner, did you?_

Len scoffed. "She said _she_ did most of the fight yesterday. Wanted to take on the target herself."

"WHAT!?"

The outburst was simultaneous, but only Meiko's was audible, and Len's attention was drawn to her. "You can't fight without a partner!" she protested.

"Hey, she's still got a partner!" Len insisted. "We made a pact, our pins work. She can still fight."

Meiko turned to Miku. "Can she?"

Miku had no idea; she quickly charged in the direction of I_O Walk, and Meiko dashed after her.

* * *

No, she couldn't.

Rin had found their target Noise on the baskeball court at Fire Child Sports Park; the 'oriental' was a titanic purple mammoth with long white tusks, its forelegs formed from dark blue waves and its trunk red-waved and ending with what looked like the edges of a war axe. However, when Rin had made to seize her blades, she found she couldn't; her pin wasn't reacting to the presence of an opponent. "What!?"

The mammoth Noise raised one leg and slammed it to the ground, and the resulting tremor knocked her to the ground. As Rin tried to rise, the titanic Noise began to advance forward, every other step being a heavy stomp that shook the park, stopping her from getting to her feet before it was looming over her, and as it raised its trunk threateningly Rin knew she was helpless to strike at it.

Which raised the question of where the  _blade of ice_ came from that jammed into the Noise's neck.

" _Rin!_ "

Miku's _Azure Snow_  had a surprisingly long range of activation - she'd barely arrived at the sports park, and at sight of the woolly Noise she knew she only had one psych that could hold it off. The icy pillar had managed to stop it from swinging its bladed trunk as she and Meiko charged in; Rin managed to get to her feet and turned towards them. "Who...? Wait,  _Meiko!?_ "

"Yes, Meiko!" Miku felt a guilty twinge of amusement when it was someone  **else** whose friends were having trouble recognizing her. "What are you doing here!?" Her paces stopped, and Meiko raised a hand to launch her blue projectiles; Miku promptly halted beside her, lighting a flame beneath the Noise.

"What do you think I'm doing here!?" Rin protested. "I'm trying to fight this thing!"

"You've gotta get going!" Meiko instructed. "Len's at Ashes, you've gotta meet up with him!"

Rin groaned. "Don't tell me what to-!"

Meiko's projectiles weren't heavy enough to stun the Noise; it slammed one foot into the ground, sending a tremor that had all of them shaking. Meiko and Rin were knocked to the ground; Miku, having some experience with elephantine Noise, had seen the stomp coming, and knelt to the ground just soon enough to avoid eating pavement.

"You can't fight without a partner!" Meiko insisted, getting to her feet. "Get going or this thing's going to erase you!"

Miku saw Rin fuming for a moment, but she quickly faced facts; she took off out of the sports park, and when the Noise tried to stomp again Miku quickly struck its foot with an ice blade from below, giving her enough time to get out of range.

Meiko took a ready stance. "You fought these things before?"

With a nod, Miku set a finger below her eye.

"Go for the eye? Got it!"

* * *

"Hey there, yellowhorn!"

Len had been walking down Snowdust Street when he'd been greeted by a familiar someone; Avex Lily was sitting sidesaddle atop her bike (whose engine was surprisingly quiet when she wasn't gunning it) on the edge of the street. With a groan, he asked, "What do you want?"

"Where's your other half?" Lily asked.

"Other half?" Len huffed. "Partners aren't that close. She's probably at Fire Child by now."

Lily's face fell. "Probably at- Wait, what?"

Len shrugged. "Pact made, pins work," he said, echoing Rin's words the other day. "She wants to take on the target herself, I say let her."

"She wants to...!?" Lily groaned, throwing her head back. "Stupid kid! You're gonna get yourself erased like that!"

She reached her hand for the throttle and twisted, and as the bike roared, a single Noise sigil appeared in the air before her. From it leapt what looked like a red kangaroo, with blue waves for legs. Len - who hadn't expected her to take this long to set a Noise on him - promptly held out his hand.

And his face fell when no cane appeared in it. "What-!?"

The boomer reared back, and Len leapt aside as it charged forward, slashing at his shirt on a close pass. The Noise came to a stop and promptly leapt into the air, and when it began to fall Len dashed aside not a moment too soon.

" _Nobody_ can fight in the UG on their own!" Lily reprimanded. "A Player's pact just stops the Noise from hunting you down without a Reaper to set them on you! If you're not  _with_ your partner, you can't do shit!"

She snapped her fingers as the Noise started to charge again, and the boomer vanished. "You didn't think we made Players make pacts for the fun of it, did you?"

Len turned to her. "Wait, you're not gonna-?"

"What's the fun of scoring by taking out a Player with no partner?" Lily demanded. "None. No fun. Come back with your girlfriend and then maybe I can give you something more challenging."

"She's not my  _girlfriend_ ," Len spat, starting back towards Ashes Square.

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is she, then?"

Len turned towards her. "She's my partner."

The Reaper rolled her eyes. " _Besides_ your pact."

"She's a stranger I met on Day 1."

* * *

It was clear, throughout a fight with a giant Noise, that the blades of ice from  _Azure Snow_ were the strongest attack Miku had. Unforunately, she had to space them out; after one shot, the pin refused to attack again for a good while, in contrast with the lasting flame from her  _Blossom_ or the extended barrier of her  _Maple_. She couldn't fire them off frequently enough to stop the mammoth from stomping altogether... but it was enough for her to prevent every third quake - every  _second_ if Meiko kept up the shots on its eyes.

When at last the Noise faded out, Meiko sighed, slumping over briefly before turning to Miku. "That went... well-ish," she panted. Glancing towards the exit to Amaretto; "You think... Rin and Len... met up okay?"

Miku gave a silent hiss of uncertainty.

"...Maybe we'd better check up on them."

**Alone  
Chapter Closed**


	20. The 4th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Writing boss Noise fight scenes gets old after a while, that's the biggest reason I keep skipping them by. Most of the Blue Noise fights are just beefed-up versions of regular Noise you've fought before. The only really unique fights are Canor and Cantus Noise.

" _Lily!_ "

Una's yell drew the biker to sigh, turning to find the Game Master storming towards her with yellow in her hair. "Yes?"

"Tell me you didn't seriously let the boy run away because he didn't have his partner," Una reprimanded.

"I can tell you that I didn't let the boy run away because he didn't have his partner." Lily's tone was that of someone who had expected to be accused for something else.

A moment's pause; then Una growled angrily, grabbing at the spikes of her eel hat. "You and your stupid Player crushes!" she protested. "Why couldn't you have hit on that coward last week when we had more than just two Harriers and a Game Master!?"

Lily shook her head. "Don't blame me," she insisted. "Blame Gumi for running the Games so fast. If there were more Players, some of them would've found a taste for destruction by now."

"Gumi's not the one running this damned 'judgement' thing," Una snapped. "She just wants to get it done fast. She can't control it!"

"And we can't control who we're attracted to," Lily argued. "Or did you _choose_ to fall for the biggest sadist in the UG?"

Una's hand moved at lightning speed; Lily couldn't react before the mic in her grip slammed into her neck. A strangled cry ripped out from the Harrier, and she stumbled back, falling to her knees and choking, gasping, trying to fight the pain that surged through her. Una was shaking, and tears were trickling down her face as Lily recovered her ability to breathe.

"Don't go there," she breathed. Then, louder; "Don't you  **dare** go there, you little shit!"

Lily raised her gaze. "I'm sorry," she pleaded. "That was out of line."

"Damn right," Una growled. "You are not going to go easy on  **any** of them, you hear me? If I tell you to set a trap, you set it, and  **whoever** springs it, you see them erased!"

"I can try," Lily insisted. "But you've seen Miku fighting. I don't think there's a Reaper in the UG who  **could** erase her before Day 7, and she's willing to defend her partner."

"And the other two?" Una snapped. "If you get the opening to erase them?"

"...Then I won't stop the Noise from trying."

* * *

Day 4 found Miku and Meiko waking up in Cybernation Plaza - decidedly  _west_  in Cybernation Plaza, at that. Rin and Len were stirring on the east side, and Miku, who was first to rise, started to approach them.

Sure enough - a wall, cutting the plaza in half.

Meiko shook her head. "Another one."

"Another what?" Rin asked.

"Day 2," Meiko explained, "there were walls cutting DIVA District in half. You guys probably didn't even realize if you were already on that side. The Game Master told Support to only let Players clear them from the east."

"So that's why we didn't run into you until yesterday," Len observed

Their phones went off, and everyone's hand dove into their pocket.

 _Mission: Step to the grindcore on the outskirts_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Outskirts," Len muttered. "What's the outskirts?"

Miku quickly tapped at a memo as their timers appeared.  _Pain Crave Bridge is part of the UG. That must be the outskirts._

"So, where is this 'Support'?" Rin demanded.

"Assuming the same as last time? Aqua and Snowdust," Meiko replied.

"What!?" Rin cried. "That's on the other side of the district! We've gotta get moving!"

Meiko shook her head. "We don't have time for that," she insisted. "You guys could handle one on Day 2, we'll handle one today."

"Excuse me!" Len protested. "We didn't-!"

Miku dashed out of Cybernation Plaza, and as Meiko started after her, Rin yelled at her back; "That's a childish grudge you've got, Meiko!"

* * *

Rouge Square was relatively quiet as the Players arrived. Miku thought she eyed a couple of familiar faces at Galaxias, but decided not to waste time telling Meiko; the two arrived at Pain Crave Bridge, panting for a moment from their dash here.

When Miku recovered, she was concerned to find Meiko looking back the way they'd come, and she caught her friend's shoulder. 'What's wrong?'

"I... It's nothing," Meiko insisted. "Where's this 'grindcore'?"

The two started down the bridge, and eventually their target found them; a pair of serpentine Noise in gold that writhed in the air. Waves adorned their sides like wings - one had black waves, one had red - and the two seemed to move in mirror to on another as they turned to the Players.

Meiko struck first, launching one of her blue projectiles; it arced through the air, and as the minks made to evade it shattered against the black-winged one, which Miku quickly pierced with her ice blade.

* * *

"Oh, come on!"

Matcha turned round at the exclamation of anger. Rin and Len had approached her wall on I_O Walk from the east side, and she'd been instructed to only let Players in from the west. "Hello again," she greeted. "So this is what Azuki was talking about."

"Meiko said you were gonna be at Aqua and Snowdust," Rin objected.

" _Azuki_  is at Aqua and Snowdust," Matcha corrected. "Same as Day 2."

The two Players levelled glares at her, and Len spoke. "And you were here on Day 2, weren't you?"

"I was on the other side," Matcha admitted, "but yeah."

" _Ugh._ " Len turned around, starting down the walk. "She's gonna get hell tomorrow for making assumptions like that."

"Oh, don't act like you've got any high ground!" Matcha yelled at his back, causing him to halt. "You guys didn't clear any of the walls then. Azuki  **told** them they were only clearable from one side, why would they waste time running around DIVA to find out where they were?"

Len opened his mouth to object... and fell quiet.

Rin hung her head. "Okay, point..."

Matcha shook her head. "Ninety minutes for a target Noise on Pain Crave. You started in Cybernation, didn't you? If the situations were reversed, you'd be doing the same thing. You wouldn't have wasted time on Day 2, and you wouldn't risk time today. She didn't  _assume_ anything, she just took the practical route."

"...Yeah," Rin admitted. "You're right."

* * *

The twin minks weren't separate Noise; they were two halves of the  _same_ Noise. One seemed to last forever under Miku and Meiko's cross assault - but when at last it faded out, it took its other with it, leaving the two Players alone on the bridge.

Miku glanced at her hand and found it bare - they were off the clock. She turned to Meiko with a smile... and was concerned to find her partner's expression one of worry. Concerned, Miku set a hand on her shoulder, causing Meiko to raise her gaze as she mouthed 'What's wrong?'

"I... I was thinking," Meiko admitted. "About what you said, about entry fees? I didn't get it. I mean, that has to be why I look like this, doesn't it? But why would they do that? Why would they take six years off my age? I bet  _you_ 'd love the body you had in high school, wouldn't you?"

Her partner gave a 'well, yeah' sort of nod.

Meiko sighed. "But... I was the oldest one among my friends. Rin and Len, I knew them in the RG. I met them in my senior year at high school when they were freshmen. The group always turned to me when we needed someone to handle business. And if someone was going to listen to words, they'd listen to me if no one else." She shook her head. "Then I come to the RG... and everyone treats me like some bratty teenager. Not just the Reapers, either - you heard them in Cybernation. They acted like I wasn't clearing Support's walls because I was mad at them for missing us on Day 2."

She sighed. " _That's_ what I value most. Being trusted... and looked up to by my friends."

**BEAUTY  
Chapter Closed**


	21. The 5th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Enemy for this chapter inspired by Project DIVA's "Demons and the Dead" module. It is annoyingly difficult to pull off a cross combo on these things.

"You know something..."

Una was sitting on her and Ryuto's usual rooftop when Gumi found her; as the Composer's began to speak, Una only turned slightly to acknowledge her presence, saying nothing. "We grade Players based on what they accomplish  _within their capabilities_. You walling off one pair or another isn't going to make any of them more likely to get picked."

"I didn't think it was," Una admitted.

"Then what's the point?" Gumi asked.

In response, Una raised her left hand, showing off the timer emblazoned there. "You think I'm gonna let all four of them gang up on one target?" she demanded. "No. Not a chance. The only reason they were all in the same place on Day 3 is because I messed up my wall placements. You said it's not against the rules to stop _half_ of the Players from getting to the target."

"Only as long as the other half is still playing," Gumi warned. "If some of them get taken out, I have to shut down your walls if they're going to stop the others from trying."

"Assuming they have time to get there," Una observed.

Gumi laughed, admiring Otomachi's tenacity. "Well, yes, there is that caveat..."

* * *

The wind was howling around Miku as she woke - in a way that the wind only does at high altitudes. The start of Day 5 found her atop the 39 Building again; remembering how walls had lined the barriers of Pain Crave Bridge, Miku found herself wondering if the Reapers would  _allow_ the Players to fall off the roof.

She got to her feet... and pain. A silent cry broke through her lips as a sudden pain surged through her head; one hand went up to her temples, trying to no avail to soothe the pain. After a moment, footsteps drew her to turn, finding Meiko kneeling at her side. "...Miku?" she asked. "You okay?"

'I-I'm fine,' Miku insisted soundlessly, getting to her feet. A buzz from their pockets told them their task had arrived, and as they drew their phones the pain started to subside... if only slightly.

 _Mission: Swing to the progressive in the northwest_  
_You have 90 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"Northwest," Meiko observed. "That'll be... in the Garden of the White Knight, won't it?"

Miku nodded, glad for the excuse to start moving; she and Meiko had already entered the elevator by the time the timer struck.

* * *

Rin and Len had started on Pain Crave Bridge, fairly close to Rouge Square; Azuki gave them a quick run to Galaxias to take down the wall to I_O Walk, and after a rushed exchange with Galaco, the two blonde pactmates were on their way to the Garden. There didn't seem to be anybody there as they arrived, but a few steps in, the Players came to an abrupt halt simultaneously.

"Did you feel that?"

"Yeah."

They'd fought enough Noise over the past few days to recognize the shift when something tried to fight them; the two Players quickly turned back to back, not wanting to be caught from behind. Rin seized her blades, and Len grasped his cane as they scanned the garden, looking for the Noise that had induced this. After a moment, Len noticed something that most certainly did  _not_ belong in the Garden - an oversized mushroom in dark orange, with crimson dotting its surface.

"...That," he muttered.

Rin followed his gaze just in time to see the mushroom  _wiggle_. "That," she confirmed, glancing down at her blades. "I wonder if I can..."

She turned one in hand, and as Len watched she hurled it forward. The edge slammed into the mushroom, and it seemed to  _vanish_ in a puff of smoke - another puff manifested off to the side, and when it cleared there was something standing there. A fox sat there, nearly shoulder level with the Players; its body was white, covered in red marks, and its tail, rising behind it, was golden Noise waves.

"Len, come on!"  
"Right behind you!"

Rin charged forward, her thrown blade reappearing in her grip as she got close; the fox howled, and three flames appeared around the garden, each of the same colour as the fox. She quickly slashed at the Noise with one blade, causing it to disappear in a flurry of smoke and reappear nearby, Len quickly altered his course, thrusting the tip of his cane into its nose before bringing the hook around in a hard swing. The fox vanished again, appearing at the water's edge, and the flames started to gravitate towards it; as the Players got near, one made contact with the Noise, and  _another tail_ rose up to join the first one.

"Oh, shit," Len muttered, "it's a kitsune."

He tried to strike at another flame before it could get near enough, and to his pleasant surprise, the blow did indeed make the flame falter - though not extinguish. Rin hurled her knives at the fox as he jabbed at the flame, eventually extinguishing it; Rin saw what he was doing and quickly started swinging at another flame, just barely managing to extinguish it before it made contact with the Noise. The fox vanished before either of them could strike it again, and with another flurry of smoke across the garden, something else appeared - a large green frog, with blue waves for its hind legs.

It quickly bloated, and as the Players made to charge forward it opened its mouth to spew a field of bubbles across the garden. One made contact with Len and burst, sending him tumbling back; Rin tossed a blade forward, and the bubbles popping sent the edge tumbling this way and that, causing her to duck as she continued to charge forward. She slid under the last bubble between her and the Noise, twisting to strike it with her blade; it vanished in the same puff of smoke, and the fox reappeared and howled again.

Len was near enough to jab at it before the flames had even appeared, getting three blows in before it smoked out; then he started striking at the nearest flame, and Rin called her thrown blade back to hand as she struck at another one. The last was too near for them to even consider trying to attack it, and as two were extinguished, it connected with the fox, and a third tail appeared behind the Noise.

"What happens when that thing gets nine?" Rin murmured.

"Let's  _not_ find out!" Len suggested.

They dashed at the Noise as it vanished again; between them appeared a broad-winged bird, with orange waves forming its head and several feathers. It swept both wings towards Rin, launching the wave-feathers like bullets, and as she leapt beneath them Len struck the bird from behind with his cane, stunning it long enough for her to bring one blade up in a flashing blow. The Noise vanished, the fox reappearing nearby, and Rin hurled one blade at it before she and Len charged forward; edges and cane collided one-two-three, and when the last flash faded the fox disappeared again, reappearing across the garden and howling.

The flames were too far away for them to try and stop them all; they resorted to double-teaming the nearest one, and extinguished it as the last two drifted towards the Noise. They charged forward as they collided, and a fourth and fifth tail appeared behind the Noise as they approached. Len's forward thrust caused it to vanish, and something else appeared nearby - a grey wolf whose tail and forelegs were made from blue waves. Fire seemed to trail behind it as it leapt forward, flying towards them too fast for them try to counter, and the Players leapt aside as it roared past them.

Len was ready as it landed and turned round; when it leapt again, he raised his cane, and the wolf's jaw locked around the weapon. Rin quickly slammed her blades into its side, and the beast disappeared as the fox reappeared across the battlefield, howling to summon more flames. This time, two were near enough for them to strike at with leaping blows; the third, however, was already practically making contact with the Noise, and by the time they had extinguished the last two, their opponent had a sixth tail. Rin tossed a blade at it, but the Noise had vanished by the time it would have hit.

Something - some _one_ \- appeared between the two Players; a figure with dark green hair in twintails, with a fox mask resting upon her face and eyes painted upon her palms.

Len stumbled back. "That's Meiko's partner, isn't it? What's she doing here?"

Rin shook her head. "It's not her! Just fight!"

She hurled a blade forward; the twintailed girl quickly raised a hand, causing an orb of water to appear between her and Rin. This wasn't like the bubbles that the frog had spat; when the weapon collided with this, it bounced away from the contact, and the blade fell to the ground before vanishing to reappear in her grip. Len tried to strike the masked girl from behind, but she promptly stepped aside, and when he tried to direct his cane at her she swept her hand before her, causing a bolt of  _lightning_ to rip through the air, knocking his blow aside.

Rapid footsteps drew her attention; Rin was rushing towards their opponent, weapons at the ready. She brought one blade down, causing the twintailed girl to step back; her focus on Rin meant Len was able to strike her with his cane, and as she recoiled from the blow Rin swung her other blade upward, slashing at the mask. The girl vanished in a puff of smoke, and the fox Noise reappeared across the battlefield as the two Players took ready stances. "It's a shapeshifter," Rin muttered. "It's not calling in other Noise, it's turning into them. And that girl."

"So we're not fighting another Player," Len observed. "That makes things simpler."

The fox howled again, causing flames to appear; Rin dashed towards one, and Len dragged his cane through another, bashing it a few times with the hook to extinguish it before dashing towards the last. He just barely failed to get to it before it got to the fox, and as a seventh tail rose behind it he settled for bashing it in the face with his cane; Rin had extinguished the other, and when her blade collided with its side it vanished, taking the form of Meiko's partner again. One eye-painted hand was raised, and shots of light emerged from her palm, causing the Players to leap away; Rin hurled one blade at the masked girl's face and one along the ground, so that when an orb of water appeared between her and them, it deflected one but not the other.

The strike at her legs stopped her from trying anything else, and Len quickly rushed forward, hooking his cane around her shoulder and throwing her in Rin's direction. A cross-slash from Rin had her reeling, and Len's thrust knocked the mask off again; as she vanished, the fox reappeared at the water's edge, howling. Again was one flame just too close for them to stop it from growing an eighth tail, and they extinguished the other two before it disappeared to take the girl's form once more. This time, Len grabbed her around the neck, driving his knee into her back as Rin slashed furiously across her torso; not knocking the mask off wasn't enough to stop her from disappearing, and when the fox howled, all three flames appeared close to its body. A ninth tail appeared behind it, and the remaining two flames seemed to multiply, swirling around its feet viciously.

Panicking, Rin hurled her blades, one after another; and Len braced his cane like a javelin before throwing it as well.

One two three - it flashed on the second blow, and the third caused its body to fade out, leaving the golden flames to fizzle as the Players shifted back.

Len slumped over. "Dammit," he sighed. "I don't wanna think about how close that was."

"You don't even know what was about to happen," Rin argued.

"Did _you_ want to find out?" Len accused.

Rin bit her lip, glancing at her timer hand; they were off the clock. "Point."

What was it about that form that had disturbed them so much...?

**Black Executor  
Chapter Closed**


	22. The 6th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Disclaimer: the only elevators I've ever taken are at hotels where they don't let you take the stairs, or three-level shopping malls where they're only there for handicapped individuals. I've never ridden one further than two floors, I don't know for sure how long it would take for one to go from 1F to 6F. I apologize if the conversation is longer than would fit in such a ride.

Rin and Len found themselves on Aqua Street the next day; and on the other side of the 39 plaza, Miku and Meiko woke up on I_O Walk. Well, Miku woke up; Meiko was doing that 'awake but not  **up** ' thing again, giving Miku an awkward flashback to Day 5 with Kaito. It didn't take long for their phones to go off; as Meiko started to rise, the other three checked their messages.

 _Mission: Clear the skies above the heart_  
_You have 120 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

'Heart,' Miku muttered soundlessly. The Players were only allowed in DIVA District; the 'heart' would be... the 39 Building. The 'skies above' must mean something on the rooftop. Her face fell, and she swung her hand idly through the access to the plaza; there was nothing in the way. 'She's going to...'

"Morning," Meiko murmured, drawing Miku's attention. "What are you murmuring about?"

A strike of pain in their hands cued the timer appearing; Miku quickly opened a memo and started tapping as Meiko got to her feet.  _Mission's on top of 39, but the entrance is on the south side of the building. Bet you anything they've walled us off._

Meiko shook her head with a smirk. "I'm not taking that," she insisted. " _You_ might know the Reapers, but  **I** know DIVA District. Come on."

She started into the plaza, and Miku glared after her. 'What do you mean you  _know_ DIVA District?' she protested soundlessly. 'I'm Diola born and raised."

* * *

To describe Rin's reaction to 39 when they stepped in as 'unpleasant' would be to describe Ryuto as 'mean'. "Rush hour!" she snapped. "Game Master woke us up smack in the middle of rush hour!"

"We can't get to the roof from the stairs," Len insisted. "Better we grab the elevator from here."

The two Players proceeded to shove, bounce, and bustle their way through the crowd, almost losing sight of one another as they did so. 39 had seven floors and three elevators in the entrance hall, only the center of which could access the rooftop plaza; the door was closing, and Rin quickly yelled, "Hold the elevator! Hold!"

A hand quickly stopped the elevator, and as the doors reopened, they were surprised to see a twin-tailed female and a teenager in green standing there.

"Meiko!" Len greeted as he and Rin stepped in. "And... I don't think I got your name."

The twin-tail winced; Meiko quickly hit the button for the rooftop plaza. "This is Miku," she introduced as the doors closed again. "She's on her third Game running."

"Ouch," Rin murmured. "That... sucks."

'A little,' Miku mouthed.

Len dismissed it and turned to Meiko. "Thought they'd try to wall you off again," he admitted.

"They tried," Meiko confirmed. "Walls cutting the plaza in half, north-to-south. But they didn't cover all their bases. Cryptic Confectionery has a faulty lock on the back door in the storage room. Whoever's on the counter was out to lunch, so it was easy to slip out and act like we're supposed to be there."

Rin raised her gaze. "Why do you know-"

"Don't finish that question unless you  **really** want to know the answer," Meiko demanded.

"So," Len offered, changing the subject, "any idea on what's gonna be waiting up top?"

Meiko shook her head. "No idea. What did you guys fight yesterday?"

"Shapeshifting kitsune Noise," Len replied. Turning to Miku; "One form looked like you a little bit. What about you guys the day before?"

"Pain Crave had a pair of symbiotic snakes," Meiko replied.

"And day before that was the mammoth," Rin mused, "and before that was the dragon. I don't think they're gonna pull any doubles, though." Turning to Miku; "Fight anything on your past weeks that might fit?"

Miku had been tapping at a memo that she quickly turned to the group.  _Last week there was a giant bat at the concert venue in Silent Beat Alleyway, but it did its best to keep things dark. I don't think they're gonna have one of those on a roof in the middle of the day._

"That's a very good point," Rin admitted. "Guess this is a new trick."

Meiko sighed. "I just hope it's not more jellyfish. Those things are  **annoying**."

"Tell me about it," Len muttered. "I bet you guys-"

The elevator dinged on the sixth floor, and he fell quiet as they turned to the opening doors.

Standing there was a girl who looked somewhere between Miku's age and Meiko's [current] age, with very dark brown hair and some bright green eyes. She was garbed in a black dress, with white trim around the hem and green on the sleeves, which flared out slightly past the wrists; a pair of shimmering green spectacles rested on her face, and what seemed to be a  _bridal veil_ danced around her head. It showed no signs of being damaged, which meant it must have been designed to allow a pair of _bony green horns_  to tower through it. Her hands were covered in metallic-looking gloves that ended in long talons similar to her horns; a pair of stiff, twisted black spikes emerged from somewhere on her back, and she was carrying a large  _scythe_ in black and green, with a slightly jagged blade... which **gleamed** in the light. Hooked on one finger was a cheap plastic bag so thin that they could make out the contents within; a skeleton key with a crown for the teeth, what looked to be a pepper grinder/shaker, a bag of dark-roast coffee, and a bottle of pills whose label was pressed against the edge, readable through the bag as a popular contraceptive.

Silence for a long moment. Miku raised a hand with one finger pointing upward; the girl shook her head, and Meiko hit the button for the rooftop plaza again.

* * *

Una was standing atop the elevator shaft with mic in hand, awaiting the day's Players. To her dismay, the elevator arrived more crowded than she had hoped - all four of the Game's participants stepped out onto the rooftop, and the twin-tailed mutie stumbled as she emerged, which meant they failed to notice her before she spoke.

"Hello, Miku."

Her voice was devoid of the taunting tones she had carried last week; there was a bitter fury in her voice as she greeted them, and Miku raised her gaze in a panic, fighting through the throbbing pain in her mind. 'Una!' she mouthed.

Meiko saw the familiarity between the two - unfriendly though it might have been - and turned to the Reaper. "You must be the Game Master," she observed. "Una, was it?"

"How did you two get here?" Una demanded.

"I know the right people," Meiko replied.

Una laughed bitterly. "What kind of 'people' could you know?"

"You Reapers took my body," Meiko reprimanded, "not my mind. I had a head for business in the RG, you think that's gonna change just because I _look_ like a high schooler?"

"No matter," Una snapped, dropping down. "Even if you do survive today, that won't save you." Her gaze was on Miku, who struggled to focus enough to meet it; the pain in her mind was intensifying. "Tomorrow, it's hands-on. Tomorrow, I make you  **pay**." 

She slammed the mic against her palm; the screech that emerged invoked a flurry of five Noise sigils, and from each sigil emerged a blue-feathered raven Noise.

"Assuming you even survive today."

She bashed her fist against the door, and it flew open as she stepped in, leaving the Players to contend with the Noise. Rin and Len drew their weapons; Meiko started launching projectiles, and Miku impaled the nearest raven on a blade of ice. Her mind was still throbbing as one made to dive towards her; she quickly raised her barrier, and the Noise's collision with it stunned it long enough for Meiko to strike it, and hurt it enough for that to finish it off.

"Don't let them hit you!" Meiko warned, remembering what Miku had told her. "They'll steal your pins!"

Once Miku was sure none of the ravens were trying to strike her, she lit her flame beneath one, causing it to flash against Meiko's projectiles and quickly fade away. The fourth and fifth ravens fell to Rin and Len's attacks, and they quickly turned to Miku, who had dropped to one knee. "Are you alright?" Rin asked.

A shadow crossed the roof of the building - a  _huge_ shadow - and everyone's gaze went up to find a  **massive**  bird flying above them.

"Oh, shit," Len muttered.

More raven Noise started to fly up from over the edge of the roof, and Miku, fighting through the pain, lit a flame beneath one. Meiko quickly saw what she was doing and resumed her barrage. "Deal with the spawn!" she instructed. "If that thing gets low enough, take it out!"

The giant flier was circling the 39 Building in broad, slow loops, gradually descending with every pass. Ravens kept flying up while they awaited its decent; once it was buzzing the rooftop, revealing waved feathers that looked like an up-scaled raven, Rin and Len both threw their weapons at its wings, and Meiko directed the fastest barrage she could muster at its head. Miku managed to light a flame beneath it, burning high enough for her to keep it trained on the bird until it had left the rooftop.

"What's going on?" Len asked. "What's happening to you?"

Miku couldn't even respond; the pain seemed to be intensifying the more she used her psychs, and now it was a war just to keep upright. Meiko shook her head. "Just stay down!" she insisted. "We'll deal with this thing!"

Ravens were flying up to the roof again, and as her friends started to attack, Miku struggled to assist them. She didn't want to be  _helpless_ like this; yet the pain was becoming nearly unbearable. She couldn't let herself plummet to unconsciousness, yet she didn't trust herself to stay awake if she tried to deal more than a single hit.

A single...

The massive crow was low enough for them to attack; Rin and Len threw their weapons again, Meiko began her barrage... and the moment it was over the edge, Miku struck.

Two blows from Rin's blade collided with the Noise's head. One from Len's cane caused the bird to flash. Meiko's projectiles slammed into it, one, two, three, and then Miku's pillar of ice ripped out of the rooftop, slamming into the bird's neck. The Noise began to fade out, ominously slowly, such that it nearly seemed to collide with the four Players before they ceased to exist.

Miku's pain peaked, and her lips parted in a soundless scream.

**Break It, Break It!  
Chapter Closed**


	23. The 7th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Yes, that was Dead Master (circa 2012's anime) at 39 last chapter.

"Now this is interesting..."

Matcha and Azuki were instructed to remain on standby on Day 7; Una had not wanted them to remain in the dark, and so had given them a map of where she had set up walls - and where the Players would be as consequence. Meiko and Miku were on Amaretto; Rin and Len were on Parallel Circuit. Walls were set up to stop them from accessing the plaza around 39, continuing further than I_O Walk, detouring onto Snowdust or Aqua Street, or visiting Swordsman's Square or Fire Child Sports Park.

And there were also walls cutting DIVA in half, north-to-south.

"What's she planning to achieve with this?" Matcha wondered. "Why would she put them on separate sides for Day 7? She'll have to face them both anyways. It won't take her ten hours to hold off one pair, and if she drags it out they're just gonna kick her ass."

Azuki hummed. "Well, the walls don't stop someone in the RG, right?" she mused. "She could use that to, like, duck out of one pair and into the zone for another."

"No," Matcha insisted, "that wouldn't work. When you go into fight mode, it locks you in the UG until you shift back. You can't just duck into the RG. You erase them, or they erase you."

"Ugh," Azuki murmured. "See, this is why I said I don't wanna be a Harrier."

Matcha turned to her. "You said it was because you like working the walls."

"No, I  **do** like working the walls," Azuki confirmed. "Because that way I don't have to get dirty with the Players."

Her hands slammed onto her mouth an instant too late, and Matcha abruptly turned to face her. "...What."

"God, I am  _not_ doing well this week."

* * *

 _Mission: The Game Master's sugar and spice are two of a kind. Defeat her._  
_You have 600 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers_

Gumi's riddles on Day 7 were never anything more than a last-day contribution to the judgement of the Players. She didn't intend to seriously hinder the Players, but anyone who failed to make the connection between, say, 'soundless rhythm' and 'silent beat' would contribute nothing if they were returned to life. Sure enough, from her perch on the building whose basement had formerly hosted a fight club, she saw all four Players arrive on Two Kind Walk - Miku and Meiko from Starmine Square, Rin and Len from Tengaku Square. Each pair, on seeing the other, made to approach.

Sakine was fastest - she hit wall in the center first.

Rin swore when she saw Meiko collide with the air in the middle of the walk. "Again with the split," she muttered, slowing to a stop. "I'm gonna punch the GM."

Miku turned towards the Flower Fight Memorial, causing her friends to do the same. Una was standing there, smack in the middle of the memorial plaza, facing away from the street - and she looked like she hadn't decided what to wear today. On her left side was her blue-and-white garb, with a bow at the tip of her hair's tail bright white, a short white sock with a piano pattern, and a golden bracelet around her thigh; on her right side was her black-and-gold ensemble with the half-skirt, fishnet stocking, and lightning bolts to pin the volt-yellow tip of her hair. Even her eel-hat was uneven, with a single yellow spike on the side of her open sleeve.

Len set a hand against the barrier to gauge where it was. "She's right in the middle of the wall," he realized. "How is she...?"

"No wings," Meiko observed. "She's in the RG."

Uncertain, Miku started forward, prompting the others to follow suit. She stepped into the memorial plaza without restriction; Len went to do the same and was caught by unpleasant surprise when he _collided_ with a wall. "Ow! What the-!?"

Miku turned, setting a hand on the wall - and it  _was_ there, blocking her off from Meiko, Rin, and Len. The wall cutting the walk and the memorial in half vanished, causing Meiko, who had a hand against it, to stumble slightly; and Una began to speak, drawing Miku's attention.

" _What are little boys made of?_  
_What are little boys made of?_  
_Snips, and snails, and puppy-dog tails_  
_And such things are little boys made of_

 _What are little girls made of?_  
_Sugar and spice, and everything nice..._ "

There was an uncharacteristic sorrow to her voice; warily, Miku stepped away from the wall.

"He's not always a little demon, you know," Una informed her. "He knows how to appreciate. I mean, he'd rip the legs off a millipede, but he'd never harm a butterfly." She shook her head. "The GM broke the rules in his first Game, and made Taboo Noise. The Players weren't protected from having a pact. He joined the Reapers so he could stop them from doing something like that again... and he found out he liked the power. But he hasn't stopped appreciating."

A bead of liquid hung from her chin, and Miku realized she was  **crying**.

"I hope he'll appreciate this."

The Reaper's wings appeared upon her back, and she turned left... no, right... no. To the horror of the watching Players, Una seemed to  _divide_ , each side turning to face them. On their left, it was the Una in blue and white; on their right, it was the Una in black and gold. A surge of wind burst out from behind her, and Miku, Meiko, Rin and Len all felt the shift as she invoked the battlefield. The Una in black flickered, becoming a silhouette, and in the right hand of the Una in white appeared a long staff, like a marching band's conductor might wave; she lowered it that it was across her legs, and Noise lines extended down her limbs. Then the Una in white was silhouetted, and as the Una in black took form again, a microphone appeared in her left hand; she raised her hands, causing her undone sleeves to splay out, and Noise lines extended up her arms.

"Thunder."

White.

"Hope."

Black.

"And a heart that you broke!"

For an instant, both Unas stood clear, swinging their weapons out at their sides as their wings gleamed.

" ** _That_** _is what **I** am made of!_ "

The spicy Una in black silhouetted, leaping aside; the sugary Una in white shot forward, brandishing her staff like a blade. Miku raised a dark barrier as she swung it, and the impact sent her skidding backwards, colliding roughly with the wall between her and her friends. Spice faded in as she bashed the head of her microphone against her palm, then thrust that palm forward - and the  _screech_ ripped out across the battlefield, causing the Players to all cover their ears as pain wrought their bodies. Sugar leapt skyward with her weapon in both hands, fading in at the peak of her jump and Miku leapt aside as she brought it down, causing Rin, centered on the wall, to stumble back in an effort to avoid being struck. "How...!?"

"Nobody can fight in the UG on their own," Len realized.

"Oh, did Lily spill that one for you?" Una snapped. "Wonderful."

Sugar silhouetted again as she turned back to face Miku, and Spice beat her mic with the heel of her palm, causing a shockwave to surge out in all directions around her. Miku was just outside the radius where the blast faded out, and she raised her hand to light a flame beneath Una's feet; yet no sooner had it struck once than Spice faded out, and Sugar charged forward, leaving Miku to leap aside. She swept her hand up to create her pillar of ice, and the blow knocked her into the air; Sugar had silhouetted before she hit the ground, and Spice launched another projectile screech, causing Miku to leap away as it ripped through the air.

"Reapers make a pact with their shadows if they need to fight," Una taunted, her silhouette charging towards Miku. "With practice, you can give your shadow its own form, and be in _two places at once_."

Spice flickered out, and Sugar swung her weapon low, striking at Miku's legs and knocking her to the ground. She raised the weapon two-handed, and Miku rolled aside as she swung it down; Sugar had silhouetted by the time the swing faded, but that didn't stop the blade from cutting into the ground as Spice bashed her palm with the mic again.

"The GM's privileged to brand her body with a Noise frequency, make herself stronger - but a new tool is no excuse for forgetting the old ones!"

Una thrust her hand towards Miku before she could rise; she raised her barrier, but still found herself skidding back as the sound rippled out around her. Rin and Len were beating on the wall, trying to get through; in desperation, Rin drew her blades and started slashing at the wall, and after a few desperate strikes Meiko caught her hand mid-swing.

Her knuckles were against the wall; the blade was  _halfway through it._

"Wait..."

Rin stepped back, twisting one blade in hand as Sugar faded in; then she hurled it forward, and it continued through the barrier unhindered. The edge slammed into Una's arm in the middle of a two-handed swing, and she cried out in pain; Len quickly formed his cane in hand as Rin hurled her other blade, striking Una's other arm and causing her to drop the weapon entirely. Spice faded in and bashed her palm with her mic, but Len quickly hurled his cane forward, and as she tried to aim the focused screech, the hook of the cane dragged her hand back, throwing the sound skyward.

Meiko aimed her barrage at Una; when Spice silhouetted, the projectiles changed path, slamming into Sugar instead. Miku quickly ignited her flame beneath Una, causing her to flash from the blows; Sugar silhouetted, and one projectile too close to change course shattered against her as the others redirected to Spice, who Miku knocked into the air with a pillar of ice. Rin hurled her blades as Spice landed, striking Una's forearm and then her wrist and causing her to drop her microphone; Sugar faded in and tried to grab her weapon, but a ground-skidding throw of Len's cane knocked it out of reach as Miku grabbed her arm and threw her towards her other.

Una and her shadow collided, and with a sudden surge, she was lying there, half-and-half again; the Noise lines on Spice's arm and Sugar's leg were still prominent as she rested on her back, panting heavily.

Miku stepped up to loom over her. 'Give up.'

In her state, Una was not up to the task of reading her lips. "What?"

"Give up," relayed Meiko - who was a little more adept at lip-reading than she was proud of. Then, before Miku could try to say anything else; "Our mission said 'Defeat'. Give up, and you can still walk away."

Una growled angrily, glaring up at Miku with one eye flecked with gold. "Stupid... bitch," she growled. "You think... she sets the Players on us... and give us the choice... of walking away?"

Her left hand opened - revealing the timer emblazoned there, and causing Miku to stumble back in shock.

"Seven days... to erase the Players..." Una slammed her hand to the ground, turning over in an effort to rise. "I don't need your pity! Send me after him, or eat erasure!"

Her microphone appeared in her left hand, and her marching staff in her right, and she charged forward.

Meiko acted in an instant; she launched a single projectile forward as Miku raised her barrier. Una collided with the defense before her weapons did, and the flying blow slammed into her spine and threw her head back - and a sickening  _crack_ emerged from her as it did. The Players watched in horror as her staff and mic fell to the ground, fading out; voltage seemed to reach from her to the ground, causing her body to move at speeds like sinking through water as it slowly descended to the ground. Her flesh became less substantial by the moment; as it connected with the ground, it faded away entirely.

On Two Kind Walk, the figure watching their fight cursed under her breath, storming away.

**Cyber Trap  
Chapter Closed**


	24. The Next Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Sorry for all the Black★Rock Shooter references. I really shouldn't, but I've got the anime on my mind and I think I'm gonna have to watch it again. I promise nobody except B★RS herself actually has any significance, otherwise I would have put their names on the listing.

"I don't think I can handle these sleeves, though."

Luka and Kaito were at 39, at a custom tailor's known as _Charioteer_. The members of Glory Music had been preparing a performance before what the gossip-mongers had started calling 'the disappearance of Hatsune Miku'; after the discovery of the Reaper's Game, the surviving Players had gradually resumed their preparations. They'd ordered the outfits after Kaito had returned from the UG, and they'd only been completed today.

At Kaito's comment, the tailor, a wheelchair-seated girl who went by Izuriha, slammed a hand to the box of sewing supplies sitting in her lap. "These are the measurements you asked me for!"

"Ignore him," Luka said from one of the changing stalls. "We just haven't practiced with these; there's nothing wrong with them."

"Easy for you to say," protested Kaito. "You've had ribbons before." His garb was a deep blue, militant-looking outfit with sleeves roughly the size and ratio of a national flag; a military hat, part of the ensemble, rested comfortably atop his head, and his feet were covered by unpleasant platform shoes.

Luka opened the curtain of her stall, stepping out. She was dressed in a rather conservative maid outfit in white and pink, albeit with similarly-proportioned sleeves and shoes; her hair was done up with a large blue ribbon, and she and Kaito gave one another's outfits some critical looks before she turned to Izuriha. "We'll take it."

"Yours, or his?" Izuriha demanded.

"His, for sure," Luka confirmed, leaving Kaito to sulkily retreat into another changing stall. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror before adding, "And mine as well."

Izuriha sighed, rolling her chair around. "Alright, bring them to the front and I'll ring them up."

The two ex-Players changed back to their usual ensembles and came out. "There's a considerable difference between long ribbons and large sleeves," Luka reprimanded as they approached the counter. "I'm not gonna be used to these, either."

"Still," Kaito insisted, "it's going to take a lot more than just..."

He fell quiet, and Luka followed his gaze to find a brunette figure approaching. "Meiko!"

"Luka. Kaito." Meiko sound a lot more relieved than she probably meant to.

"Alright," Izuriha interrupted from behind the counter. "Is that gonna be everything?"

"Actually," Luka admitted, "if you take the measurements of our friend here..."

* * *

After the garments were paid for, they made their way out of the 39 Building, starting towards Meiko's place at Rouge Square. She and Kaito shared Game stories as they walked; he and Luka were both relieved to hear that Miku, Rin, and Len were all still surviving in the UG... but Luka was concerned to hear that Meiko hadn't recognized Miku any more than Kaito had.

"It wasn't just me," Meiko admitted. "Day 6, Len's first words to Miku were 'I don't think I got your name'. I think there's something stopping us from recognizing each other."

"That couldn't be," Luka insisted. "You still recognized Rin and Len, right? And they still recognized you?"

Meiko looked awkward. "Well... kinda."

Kaito turned. "What was your fee?"

"Remember my showgirl phase in our freshman year?"

Luka stumbled at that. "Your  _what?_ "

"Yes, I remember," Kaito said quickly.

"They took my appearance," Meiko explained. "Same outfit." She shook her head. "But once they realized why I recognized them, yeah, they did remember me. And I remembered them."

"That doesn't make sense," Luka murmured. "Why is it only happening to Miku?"

"I really don't know," Meiko admitted. "I just.."

Someone stepped out in front of them - a brutish figure in filthy clothes - and the trio of friends came to a stop as he brandished a switchblade knife, aiming it at Luka. "What's in the bags, girlie?"

Kaito lashed his hand straight forward, slamming a fist into the brute's nose before he could react; as he was reeling, Kaito grabbed his weapon arm and pried his fingers off the blade. Meiko picked it up once it had fallen to the ground, and Kaito shoved the brute away, accepted the weapon from her, and turned it on its owner.

"Performance costumes," he replied.

"Okay," the brute insisted through his bloody nose, "I would've left you alone if you had just said that!"

"And if I had said 'jewelry'," Kaito argued, "you would have tried to stab her, and I'd have to hospitalize you." He sheathed the blade, stepped away from the sidewalk, and tossed the weapon onto a nearby rooftop. "Run along."

The brute did.

Kaito sighed, turning to his friends; Meiko was wearing an appreciative smirk, and Luka had a hand against her forehead. "Really?" the rose-haired girl demanded.

"You have no idea how nice it feels to be  _able_ to do that again," Kaito defended as they started walking again.

"No," Luka admitted, "I probably don't."

"What do you mean, 'able'?" Meiko inquired.

"When I entered the Game, I was scared out of my mind just when I saw bats," Kaito explained. "They took my courage as my fee. And they didn't take my _memories_ of courage. I thought I was just scared to be dead."

Meiko grabbed his shoulder, and the three of them came to an abrupt halt as she gave him a furious glare. "Don't tell me you  _weren't_ scared to be dead." Her voice was furiously low.

Kaito shook his head. "That's not what I meant," he insisted, and Meiko released his shoulder. "I just- When I entered the Game, everything seemed more threatening than it used to be, for no reason. I thought being dead had just made me frightened of... _everything_. It made me feel terrible."

"I guess that's fair," Meiko admitted.

They started walking again, and Luka spoke up. "What about Rin and Len?" she asked. "What were their fees?"

"The Game Master tried to keep us on opposite sides of DIVA District the whole game," Meiko explained. "We didn't have a lot of time to talk shop with them the way me and Miku did." Then, after a moment of quiet; "But... on Day 3, they split up. Rin thought she could take the target herself... and Len just let her. It wasn't even just a challenge they'd underestimated. It was more like... half-hearted accomplices deciding to split up."

Kaito shook his head. "That doesn't make sense," he admitted. "They'd never do that."

Luka hummed. "Do you think it's like me?" she asked. "The Reapers took their relationship with each other?"

"That doesn't make sense," Meiko insisted, a weak smirk on her face. "You and Miku are just friends. Rin and Len have the same family name. They look like mirrors. How do you stop  _twins_ from putting that together?"

"Did they..." Kaito seemed to have come up with something that he really hoped was wrong. "Did any of you happen to mention their family name?"

Meiko's face fell. "...No," she realized. "Not even me and Miku when I thought she didn't know them... I wasn't even thinking of them as 'Kagamine', I thought of them as 'Rin and Len'." She scoffed. "But I... I  _knew_ that I knew them in the RG. If I'd stopped and thought about it-"

"Well, if Luka's friendship with Miku involved taking  _Miku's_ memories of her," Kaito observed, "then maybe taking Rin and Len's relationship involved taking your and her memories of them being twins. Maybe even just stopping any of you from realizing they looked so alike."

Luka sighed. "Frickin' Reapers."

**Dawn Alternate  
Chapter Closed**


	25. The 1st Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> The Tin Pin Eidolon selection kind of irks me. If you've got Ifrit and Shiva, you should have Ramuh. For a 'hero pin', it would make more sense to have Odin than Golem. Golem's not even a summon most of the time, Titan would make more sense for an Earthquake pin. And even with the existing selection, Shiva should've been an Angel-class pin, if only because Piercing Pillar:rapid tap isn't a normally classed psych and Bahamut is better fitting as a Reaper-class pin. It should be possible to have the entire summon set in one deck.

_When Una had been erased, the world had gone dark. Now, Len opened his eyes and found himself, Rin, and Meiko standing in a dark forest. The leaves of the trees were steely blue; they would swear it was night if it weren't for the complete lack of starlight above them._

_"What happened?" Len murmured. "Where are we?"_

_"I don't know," Rin admitted. "This... doesn't feel right."_

_Meiko started. "Who-!?"_

_Her fellow Players turned to see someone standing there - a purple-haired figure in so much white he would have been visible from a mile away. One hand rested on the hilt of a sword sheathed at his hip, whilst the other held a folded white fan. "Welcome, and congratulations. You are all the victors."_

_"Us...?" Meiko glanced around. "Miku. Where's Miku!?"_

_"Hatsune is safe," the samurai insisted. "Rest assured that nothing here has happened with which she is not familiar."_

_"Who are you?" Rin demanded._

_"I am Kamui Gakupo, Conductor of the Reaper's Game, and loyal servant to the Composer."_ _Meiko lowered her stance, and Len realized that she must have spoken with Miku about this._ _"As per the Composer's mandate, the number of Players to be given new life in the aftermath of this game is... one."_

_Len scoffed. "So that explains it," he muttered. "And the rest?"_

_Kamui shook his head. "That will be your decision to make," he replied, raising his fan. Then, as a gentle wind suddenly picked up in the trees; "The hour of reckoning draws near. Your performance has been judged, and the Player to be reborn, decided." Opening the fan; "Congratulations..._

_"Sakine Meiko."_

_Rin smirked. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," she admitted, turning to Meiko. "You earned that."_

_"...Miku earned it more," Meiko murmured._

_Even so, she didn't make any objection; she stepped forward, and light shone around her as she faded out._

_Once she was gone, Kamui turned to the other two. "Now, to the Players who survived the Reaper's Game, allow me to return your entry fees."_

_Suddenly, the wind's whisper was a howl of strength; Len cried out, a hand reaching for his head, and he heard Rin doing the same. Kamui only watched as they fought to stay upright, and once the changes had come to a close, they turned towards one another._

_A silent understanding passed between Kagamine Rin and Len - as it had since the day they were born._

_"You..." Len turned to the Conductor. "You... took our memories of **each other?** "_

_"The bond between twins," Kamui observed. "A bond with a complete lack of animosity, and a mutual trust unparalleled by mere friendship. A worthy entry fee, wouldn't you say?" He_ _folded his fan. "Now, there is a decision for the survivors to make."_

_"Then why isn't Miku here?" Rin interrupted, before he could continue. "Why isn't she making this decision?"_

_"She already has," Kamui explained. "And she has told me, with a determination that I have never seen before, that it will not change. I trust a Player to judge their own emotions. If I am proven wrong, I will have a debt to repay."_

_Gold._

_"If you still cling to life, you may enter the Game again."_

_Crimson._

_"If you lean toward destruction, you may join us as a Reaper."_

_Cobalt.  
_

_"Otherwise, should you welcome oblivion, erasure is also an option."_

_At once, the Kagamine twins replied, "Game."_

_Kamui's face fell. "Oh." The lights faded. "Well." The hand that was not holding his fan was dug into his pocket. "This is awkward. I can't do this at the same time." It came out holding a silver coin. "Call it."_

_He flicked it into the air._

_Rin said, "Tails."_

_Len said, "Heads."_

_The coin was slapped against the back of Kamui's hand, and once he was sure it was at an angle that it wouldn't fall off, he pulled the covering hand away. "Very well, then." He pocketed the coin again. "Kagamine Len. For every game, an entry fee must be taken - but rest assured, I will not be altering your memories again. This time, you are playing for..."_

_The wind howled again; and this time only one voice reacted to the chill._

_"Kagamine Rin."_

* * *

Len opened his eyes.

He was lying in Tengaku Square. With a low growl, he pushed himself to his feet, muttering to himself. "That asshole. That  _asshole!_  He would've done that last Game too, if we hadn't died at the same time. That  **asshole**!"

A heavy breath. "Fine. What's the mission?"

As though it had been awaiting his question, his phone went off; he reached into his pocket and drew out the device to check his message.

 _Mission: Reach 39_  
_You have 60 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

"39 again?" Len murmured. "I guess the center of DIVA District is kind of fair, but..."

He yelped in pain; the timer had appeared. "Okay. Pins?" He reached for his chest; the  _Trickster_ pin that gave him his cane was still on his shirt, as was the  _Love-Hate_ pin that had served him no purpose to this point (although after Meiko's warning about ravens on Day 6, he decided he was better off with extra pins than without) and his Player Pin. "I'm good. I need a partner."

A light  _thud_ like something landing drew him into a turn; a group five of what looked like  **penguins** stood there, in white and blue; their wings and feet were formed from waves to tell him they were Noise.

"Nice of you to show up so quick!"

* * *

Penguins could move very fast on ice. Miku had no idea why she thought penguin  _Noise_ would be any slower on pavement. Frogs, bats, and jellies, she had been able to outrun, but she was putting no distance between herself and her quintet of attackers as she fled down Aqua Street. As she approached the access to 39, a familiar blonde face was charging towards her with his own flock of penguins on his tail; and this time, Len recognized her... though she had an unpleasant feeling it was only because they had met last Game.

"Miku!"

Len raised his hand, and as they neared one another, Miku raised her hand to meet it. The slap of a high-five served just as well as the grip of a handshake; that blue light rose up around them as their pact was forged, and they immediately segued into the offensive. Miku swung her arm skyward, forming an icy pillar with her _Azure Snow_  that knocked the foremost penguin into the air - and it was just jagged enough in just the right places that the two penguins immediately flocking it were halted, forming a pile-up effect as it faded out. Len arced into a spin, and his cane appeared in his grip as he swept it across three penguins, causing them to spin back and knock their allies aside.

A moment's pause, and then Len whooped. "Oh, that felt so awesome!"

Miku slapped him in the shoulder to reprimand him - two hits had not eliminated ten Noise, and Len's swing hadn't even taken out  _one_. They quickly resumed their assault, Miku lighting the penguins up with her  _Blossom_ ; Len's cane was long enough that a well-aimed thrust could keep any Noise at a distance, putting him on the defensive until the flock had been eliminated.

Once they were alone, Len turned to face Miku. "So this is what the Conductor was talking about," he observed, "when he said you'd already made your decision. Four Games running, and they haven't let you back, yet?"

With a sigh, Miku drew out her phone.  _They only judge the Players based on what they've done in the one Game_ , she tapped out _._

"That's bullshit," Len snapped. "I'm thinking he's got it out for you."

After how Kamui had sympathized with the whole 'nobody remembers me' problem, Miku wasn't so sure. She started into the 39 plaza, Len following behind her, and reached into her pocket - sure enough, another Game found another pin waiting there with her Player Pin. And again, it was quite similar to her existing pins; a pale surface that was nearly white, with a symbol surrounded by lettering, Beneath a thousand cherry trees... This one was three identical figures - red floral shapes with green in the center - arranged in trigram to complete a circle; on the back was the name,  _Camellia_.

She pinned it to her shirt as Len took a look. "Four pins," he observed. "And they all work for you?"

'So far,' Miku confirmed soundlessly.

Len scoffed. "Me and Rin woke up with two," he complained, "and only one of them does anything. But then again... last week was our first Game."

Miku checked the date on her phone. 'Not last week,' she mouthed, showing the screen to Len.

"Hey there, yellowhorn!"

The voice from ahead drew the Players' attention; a familiar Reaper was sitting there atop her bike, looking devilish. Len groaned, rolling his eyes as he muttered, "You again," he muttered. "What do you want, Avex?"

"You can call me Lily, baku," she insisted with a grin. "Where's your stranger?"

Len bit his lip. "She's... she's not a stranger," he corrected. "She's my sister."

"Yeah," Lily admitted. "You know, thinking back, that's too obvious. You're like mirror images of each other. How did I miss that last Game?"

"...Because that was our fee," Len replied. "Our relationship with each other. And this time... my fee is her."

Miku turned to him, shocked.

Lily's face fell. "Damn," she muttered. "She means that much to you, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Well, hell with this," Lily muttered. "I'm not in the mood anymore. Good luck, you two."

She mounted her bike and took off, leaving the Players in the plaza below 39.

**Error of Love  
Chapter Closed**


	26. The 2nd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Imprinting does not happen as often as you'd expect it to. The blackout on Shiki Day 3, the Reaper Creeper on Shiki Day 5, the ramen ideas on Joshua Day 3... and then I don't think you ever do it again.

Len woke up the next morning to the wind howling around him. He quickly raised his gaze and found himself atop the 39 Building. "Well, this is different," he observed. Miku still looked to be sleeping, and he decided not to bother her until the mission arrived.

After a moment, he reached for his chest, drawing off his  _Trickster_ pin. Yesterday's Noise had been an unfamiliar sort, but he couldn't shake the feeling that his blows had been **weaker** than they were last week... or, well, last Game. When he'd been partnered with Rin, he hadn't felt like he had  _struck_ the Noise so much as contact had just made them  _move away_. Yet as he looked over the pin, he found no signs of damage - no nicks, no dents, not even the scratches he expected from sleeping on his stomach between missions.

"Still pristine," he murmured. "But then what is it?"

After a moment, he glanced down at his  _Love-Hate_ pin. "...Is it this one?" Rin had been wearing the same pin, and when it had done nothing for either of them, they'd thought it was simply a decoy by the Reapers - something to catch them off-guard. But they had been partners, and Len wondered if perhaps their pact had let these things take a subtler effect.

Stirring drew his attention; Miku was starting to wake. "Morning," Len greeted lightly.

'Morning,' Miku mouthed.

A soundless gasp, and she raised a hand to her head again, causing Len to start. "Woah, you alright?"

Miku shook her head, silently insisting 'It's nothing.' She started towards the elevator, and Len made after her.

"Do you know any shops that sell pins?" he asked uncertainly.

With a nod, Miku drew out her phone; the elevator arrived, and they stepped in.  _Some shops here in 39, why?_

"I'm looking for one of these..."

* * *

A thorough search of 39's pin selections, however, turned up no  _Love-Hate_ pins. Miku had a suspicious feeling that the Reapers had made sure you couldn't just **buy** pins with psychs; every pin in her own slowly-growing collection had appeared at the start of a new week, and she hadn't seen them anywhere else.

The two Players came to a stop outside of 39, and the Players both pulled out their phones; there was still no mission.

"Okay, what's the deal?" Len muttered. "It never takes this long. Am I even getting reception?"

Miku shot him a look as he raised his device above himself, wiggling it uncertainly. With a roll of her eyes, she opened up a memo.  _You really think this is running on a regular cell system? My contract isn't even registered._

Len looked awkward. "That's not what I..."

 _They did this in my second week,_ _too_ , Miku explained _. The GM ended up separating us and ambushing us with Noise. Stay on the alert._

"Hey, Miku!"

The voice drew their attention to see a familiar Reaper coming their way. "Azuki," Len greeted.

"Len, right?"

"No walls today?"

"No," Azuki confirmed. "I need your help with something else!"

Miku blinked, dumbfounded. Len was equally not understanding, asking, "Why would the Reapers ask the Players for help?"

Azuki glared at him. "Because you're  _here!_ " she insisted. "If you've gotta do what the Reapers say anyways, why not get you to help us? On a really bad week, the Conductor's the one sending missions because we don't have enough hands." She shook her head. "But Cul's not doing anything.  **I** need you help."

'With what?' Miku mouthed.

"Remember day 2 of your first Game?"

* * *

In the five weeks since Miku's first visit, the dispute over worn-down building on Two Kind Walk had been settled, and a date for its demolition had been decided. That date was  _today_ , as she discovered when she, Len, and Azuki arrived to find construction equipment gathered.

"What's going on?" Len asked.

"Matcha saw someone coming in here last week," Azuki explained quickly, "told the Conductor about it. We were worried the fight club might have started back up, so he told her to keep her eye on the place. Last I heard from her was the day before yesterday."

"You're worried she might be in here?" Len asked.

Azuki aimed a finger at the skull-and-cross slash on the door window. "You know about the modulator decals, right? If they noticed her while she was inside, she can't just shift back to the UG. They might've dragged her into the fights."

Len looked at the construction workers; a figure in an officious outfit seemed to be directing them. "If they start breaking this place while we're in, that's trouble. We'll be trapped if we're in the basement, and on the first floor we're dead. Or... dead- _er_." Turning to Azuki; "Could you distract them somehow?"

"Distract them?" Azuki shook her head. "Game's on, Players are up. Support's not allowed to mess with the RG on purpose. I keep getting in trouble for losing track of time and not being in the UG when the mission starts."

"They can't make an exception for a day with no mission?" Len asked. "Couldn't you talk to him and delay him a little? Get him to run a security check on the equipment, or piss him off enough to-"

A buzz from their phones cut him off. Miku quickly drew out her device to find a notification -  ** _Memetic_** _: New meme: Security check_.

"...Gakupo, you rock," Azuki muttered.

"What the hell is 'Memetic'?" Len asked. "When did I-?"

Miku gave him a 'later' look and started towards the director, drawing her Player Pin out of her pocket. A quick scan revealed he was procrastinating, trying to remember something.  _Okay, am I sure I haven't forgotten everything?_  Opening up the Memetic app, Miku quickly got the meme list open. _All the right stuff's here... we checked the building for stragglers... made sure everyone's gone to the bathroom..._

Security check

_...Security check?_ The head worker slammed his hand to his forehead. "Stupid! I forgot to check the equipment before we left! Ugh, this is gonna take us another hour..."

With a quick fist-pump, Miku started back towards the building; Azuki saw the look on her face and grinned, and she and Len followed Miku as she opened the door and slipped inside. Azuki's wings disappeared as soon as they were inside, showing they were visible to the RG; not wanting to be seen by anyone who happened to be looking in the window, they quickly charged towards the stairwell.

"The fight club was downstairs, right?" Azuki asked.

Miku nodded, and the Reaper led the way downstairs. To equal parts relief and concern, the fight club had not been resumed; indeed, there was a layer of dust across the floor, though not as thick as at the entrance... and it, too, had a path where the dust had been disturbed. But not as though someone had walked through it.

Like something had been dragged through it.

The trio quickly followed the trail to find a thick, wooden door, with a flimsy doorknob that implied the basement hadn't been formally used, let alone improved, in ages. A quick jiggling of the knob revealed that the lock still functioned; Len quickly drove his foot into it from the side, sending the knob flying on their side and causing it to tumble to the ground on the other; then he manually shifted the bolt aside and pushed the door open.

"Matcha!"

Azuki's call caused Matcha - who was wrapped in chains and sitting against the opposite wall of what looked to be a store cupboard - to raise her gaze. "Azuki... Len? Miku?"

Miku quickly stepped in, helping Matcha get to her feet. "What happened to you?"

"The decal downshifts you just when you touch it," Matcha muttered. "A few fight clubbers were trying to figure out a new location and met here. They opened the door, I fell in, and I couldn't get back out to the UG before they chained me." Then, when Miku started messing with the chain; "Leave it, they tied it like Gordium. We've gotta get out of here, the demo's today."

Len spoke up as they started moving. "Had they found their new place?"

"I think so," Matcha confirmed. "They said something about an empty place on Silent Beat, but we can deal with that as Reapers."

They made it out of the building without incident; once they were back in the UG, Matcha gave a yelp of pain, and Miku saw her wings sticking out from under the chains, pressed tightly to her back. "Don't suppose either of you have got a way to break these?" she asked.

Miku dragged them into a fight with a nearby corehog; once their pins were running, she quickly smashed through the chains with an icy pillar from her  _Azure Snow_. The Noise was easily dispatched, and Len turned back to the Reapers. "Is there really an empty place on Silent Beat?"

Matcha shook her head. "I doubt it. But we don't let non-Players in, so I wouldn't be surprised if they thought it was our place."

"Your place?" Len blinked. "You guys run a shop?"

"Yeah, we do," Azuki confirmed. "Kind of a stupid thing... but we do it anyway. If you win, and you come back to life, you don't have your pins in the RG. It saves the Composer hassle in situations like Sakine's where you're in a different body and wearing different clothes. Swing by our place, bring some ID. We'll hook you up with a Player Pin and sell you some psychs."

"Which does  _not_ mean that you'll be able to scan and psych in the RG," Matcha interrupted.

Len raised an eyebrow. "You're selling cheap knockoffs?"

"Oh, it's the same pins," Matcha insisted. "We even give every ex-Player the exact Player Pin they had in the Game. But psych pins only function for psychs when you're at a Noise-level frequency. With some  _very_ rare exceptions that also function on the UG."

Miku tapped at a memo, turning it to the Reapers.  _Una mentioned something about a 'Noise frequency' at the end of the last Game. What's that about?_

"It's a bit of a trick," Azuki admitted.

"It's not a trick," Matcha reprimanded. "Noise exist halfway between the UG and the RG. That lets them have effects on both. In the RG, they can give a civilian a bad mood - or just get attracted to it and make it worse - and you can see them from the UG with a scan or a pair."

Len snapped his head around.

"Of wings!" Matcha elaborated, her face turning bright red. "A pair of wings! Reaper wings. Shit, is this what happened to you last week?"

"A little," Azuki admitted. To the Players; "When you see them from the UG, it's not really  _them_ \- it's just those shapes. When you shift out - the civs disappear, and you see them emerge - that's you being downshifted to their level. We get the same shift if we fight them, but the GMs are allowed to brand themselves with that frequency for the fight."

"Which saves you the trouble of making a pact with your shadow," Len recalled.

Azuki turned back to Matcha. "I told you Lily was crushing on him."

Len stepped back. "What?"

"How do you know that wasn't Haku rambling again?" Matcha argued.

"No, it was Avex," Len confirmed. "What do you mean, she's  _crushing_ on me?"

"You're not the first," Azuki admitted. "And you won't be the last."

* * *

"You are being exceedingly lazy."

Cul was reclining on a folding chair she had dragged up to roof of Silent Beat's concert venue when Lily found her. At the biker's comment, the GM shook her head. "It's called  _deception_ , pimp ride."

Lily scoffed. "No mission. No instructions. No walls. And you haven't even given them a designated pass-out. Do explain to me what part of this is deceptive."

"Hatsune's played three straight Games," Cul reminded her. "If she didn't know DIVA by heart already, I'll be damned if she doesn't by now. And let's not forget what Ryuto did on his Day 6. She'll be expecting me to have something up my sleeve."

"And you do," Lily observed.

"No, I don't."

"You just said-!"

"She'll be paranoid all day," Cul insisted. "She'll probably try to stay up tonight, making sure I'm not issuing a mission that just barely counts on the day. And then, tomorrow, no mission, no Harriers, no walls, no designated pass-out. And then on Day 4, and then on Day 5..."

Lily chuckled. "So, what? You're just gonna try and make her go crazy? Give yourself easy pickings on Day 7?"

"No, no," Cul reprimanded. "I'm keeping my eyes on her. She knows I don't do the sweating thing. Sooner or later, I'll get her to let her guard down. Day 6 -  **early** Day 6 - I find out where she is. I give her a mission on the  _other end_ of DIVA, and a time limit that's just enough to get there, and give her something huge. Maybe even put a few walls in the way."

The sheer audacity of her plan caught Lily off-guard. "Gakupo's not gonna let you-"

"I cleared it with him," Cul assured her. "Progress isn't made by hard workers, Lily, it's made by looking for an easier way to do things."

"Damn," Lily chuckled. "Well, if you're not gonna do anything until Day 6,  _I'm_ gonna be in the RG."

Cul nodded, and she hopped down to her bike, shaking her head in amusement as she turned it on. "That's never gonna work," she muttered, setting a hand on the seat; she could shift her bike between the UG and RG so civilians wouldn't be caught off-guard by a vehicle moving of it's own accord. "Hatsune's smarter than-"

She fell quiet as her wings disappeared; all of a sudden, she wasn't sure where her own sentence was going.

"Hatsune?" She glanced down at her bike, pulling her hand off the seat, and with a confused repeat of "Hatsune," she shifted back to the UG.

Suddenly, she knew where she had been going with that sentence; yet she knew that she _hadn't_ known where she was going with that sentence.

She shook her head, trying to figure out what had just happened. "Hatsune Miku."

The Player who was on her fourth Game running. She shifted back to the RG in the middle of repeating, "Hatsune Miku."

The lead vocalist of Glory Music.

"...What _about_ Hatsune Miku?"

**break away  
Chapter Closed**


	27. The 3rd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I'm just going through this fic in my head, imagining what it would be like as a TWEWY game, and I realized that having a silent character like Miku is would require a whole revamp to the cutscene engine so that there didn't need to spawn a new text box in order to change conversation sprites at the player's pace. I mean, I'm pretty sure Beat's seven-shift freakouts on Days 5 & 6 are just the engine speeding through the listed sprites as fast as it's allowed to because there's no text between them.

"I understand. We'll apply a modulator decal as soon as possible."

Gumi stepped into the meeting room to find Gakupo on his phone. "I imagine we'll be able to do it by the end of this week, at the latest. ...No, don't worry. Even if the next Game is concurrent, we'll make an opening. ...Alright."

He hung up as Gumi spoke. "What's that about?"

"The fight club from Two Kind Walk is trying to open up again," Gakupo replied. "Matcha and Azuki don't have a modulator decal on their shop, so the ones in charge thought it was empty."

"That'll be an easy fix," Gumi observed. "Cul's not sending missions, so unless something huge gets in the way I should have it ready by tomorrow."

Gakupo pocketed his phone, turning as she made to leave. "Composer, before you go... What's the determination on Hatsune's situation?"

Gumi came to a halt, bowing her head. "Gakupo... You know those rumors, about the death rate in DIVA?"

"You mean... the Fallen Angel." DIVA had experienced some unpleasant visitations from Angels in the early years of the UG; and though none of the current Reapers had been Reapers long enough to have firsthand account, the rumors were still plentiful enough that more people knew about the Higher Plane than in some other Undergrounds. This one was a more unpleasant sort. Ever since the UG had been founded, there had been a a small but noticeable increase in Player entrants within the purview of DIVA, allowing Gumi's rules for 'no Player dead for a year before their first Game' without (usually) handicapping anyone... and some believed that it was the work of a Fallen Angel.

"Yes. The Producer has informed me that there  _is_ another Angel somewhere in Diola." Gumi shook her head, not turning. "I couldn't get a straight answer... but it's possible that it's the Fallen."

"And you think that the Fallen Angel might be responsible for Hatsune's situation?" Gakupo asked.

"It's possible," Gumi admitted. "Maybe it's a grudge, or maybe it's just a test for something bigger. Keep your eyes sharp."

"I will."

* * *

It was noon as Matcha and Azuki met up on the intersection of I_O Walk and Parallel Circuit on Day 3, making their way to Rouge Square. "Any luck?" inquired Azuki on the way.

"Gakupo said they'll have a modulator decal on our shop by the end of the Game," Matcha replied. "That should stop the fighters."

"Good," Azuki sighed. "The last thing I want is that hell starting up ag- Huh?"

They'd reached the intersection with Amaretto; also arriving at said intersection were Len and Miku. Miku looked half-asleep, stumbling as she walked; Len seemed to have gotten wet, and his shirt and legs were caked in mud.

"You look like the devil," Matcha observed.

"I thought the Composer was a girl," Len argued wryly. "Why didn't we pass out yesterday?"

"You didn't?" Azuki sounded surprised.

Len shook his head. "No, we didn't. We spent the night in the Garden because I can't sleep on pavement on purpose."

Azuki turned to Miku. "Is that why you look like you need a coffee that doesn't change colour with cream?"

Miku's lips started moving... barely. She was visibly far too tired to try and communicate without words.

Matcha sighed. "Come on, let's stop by Galaco's and get you something to wake up.

Unfortunately, Galaco had had a very profitable day yesterday and was yet to resupply; the strongest stimulant she had was cola. Miku promptly bought a two-liter bottle and borrowed a notepad, and she, Len, Azuki, and Matcha took their seats outside (Matcha holding a large sundae with brownie chunks in it, Azuki a Stardust and a chocolate shake, and Len a banana split).

After a few minutes, Miku had enough caffeine in her system to write legibly.  _I stayed up last night trying to make sure the GM didn't give us a mission while we were too asleep to notice the timer. I ended up passing out around first light__

Azuki laughed. "A mission in the middle of the night? I told you Cul was GMing. You know her, she's **lazy**. How many times now has she had the chance to sic some Noise on you and passed up on it?"

Matcha swallowed a mouthful of ice cream before speaking up. "I suggest taking it easy this week. Cul's not gonna do anything before Day 7 if she can help it."

"I think you're underestimating your Game Master."

The voice from nearby drew their attention. Miku offered a friendly smile when she saw Yowane Haku standing there; Azuki and Matcha were rather less pleased. "Oh, Yowane," Azuki greeted half-heartedly.

"What happened to you guys?" Haku inquired.

"GM didn't pass us out," Len explained, as Miku turned her note so Haku could read it.

"What do you want, Yowane?" Matcha asked.

Haku sighed. "Well, I was  _going_ to ask the Players if they could lend me a hand, but I see my timing is horrible."

Miku wrote on a new note.  _What do you need a hand with?_

"There's someone camping out on top of 39 with a wooden sword that could break a skull and the kind of alcohol someone only drinks if they're going to kiss a girl or kill a man," Haku admitted. "I'm pretty sure the Noise have a hold on him."

"Pretty sure, huh," Matcha observed bitterly.

"It's alright," Haku assured her, stopping Miku from getting to her feet. "You're way too tired right now. I'll deal with it."

She took off, and once she was out of earshot, Azuki huffing dismissively. "Wingless witch is lucky she's on Neru's good side."

Miku raised her gaze, concerned; 'wingless' was an insult she had heard Una use, and she wasn't quite sure why the usually-cheerful Azuki was talking about Haku that way. Len was similarly confused, albeit for different reasons, as he asked, "What do you mean, 'wingless'?"

"Yowane Haku," Matcha explained, "is an ex-Reaper."

" _Ex_ -Reaper?" Len echoed. "I didn't think you could get out of that."

"If you get on the Conductor's good side, he'll let you back into the Game as a Player," Azuki admitted. "And if you get on his bad side, he'll strip you of your Reaperhood and throw you to the Noise without a pact. But Yowane doesn't count for either; she just  _ran out_."

'Ran out?' Miku mouthed.

Matcha flexed her wings. "These are a measure of our power," she explained, "the smaller the stronger. But they're also a sign of our lifespan - you score by following orders from the GM, Conductor, or Composer. When you first become a Reaper, you have a lifespan of thirteen days, and your wings disappear when you're down to six - although they only count down as long as a Game's going."

Miku beckoned in the direction Haku had gone. 'And her?'

"Haku hasn't scored a point," Azuki replied. "She wanted to  _change the way the Game ran_." With a scoff, she added, "Obviously had no idea what she was getting into. She was doomed from the start, and on her seventh day she walked out. The Conductor said not to... well, he said the  _Composer_ said not to take her out, let her live her last six days in peace."

Len hummed. "So?"

"That was five years ago."

Miku turned her head at the last second, spewing cola onto the next table instead of across the Support Reapers; she ended up coughing for a bit as her next breath sent a few drops down the wrong pipe.

"That's pretty much how we reacted to seeing her around on the third Game after she left," Matcha admitted. "Last time I ever drank iced tea."

Len blinked. "Wait," he murmured. "If the wings are a Reaper's power, then..."

"That's right," Matcha confirmed. "Longevity or not, she's nothing. She can't see Noise, she can't defend herself if something attacks her, she can't downshift to the RG if she's not in range of a modulator decal, and she can't affect civilians. She'd need a pact to do anything, and we never start a Game with an odd number of Players. The only reason we haven't had Neru shoot her is because she hasn't actually  **broken** any rules."

A moment's quiet; then Miku took a hearty swig of her cola and set the bottle down, getting to her feet. Len quickly realized what she was doing and abandoned the remains of his banana split, following her as she started towards 39 and leaving Matcha and Azuki exchanging worried glances.

* * *

Haku was halfway into 39 when a call of "Yowane!" drew her attention. She was surprised and confused to see Miku and her partner approaching. "You two? I told you, it's-"

"It most certainly is not," Len insisted. "We can handle a couple Noise clinging to one guy."

The watcher's expression softened. "Thanks, um..."

"Len," he replied. "And I get the feeling you know Miku."

"More or less," Haku confirmed.

They started into 39, making their way to the central elevator. The doors were already closing when a worrisome thought occurred to Len, and he turned to Miku. "Um, you're not gonna..."

Haku turned. "Not gonna what?"

"When we were on the rooftop last week, Miku had... a nasty experience with the GM," Len explained, as Miku drew out her phone. "Looked like she was having a migrane or something."

 _I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Una_ , read the memo Miku had tapped out _. And if not, I can handle anything less than a mammoth._

"I've never seen anything bigger than a wolf cling to people in the RG," Haku assured them.

"I can handle a wolf solo," Len observed. "I mean, not solo, you can't fight solo."

'I know,' Miku mouthed.

In time, the elevator arrived at the rooftop plaza, and the trio stepped out. To Miku's mild dismay, it  **hadn't** had to do with Una, but the pain was much more mild than it had been last time - she was certain they could deal with whatever Noise were around and get back onto the elevator before anything serious happened. Haku's stranger was standing there with his wooden sword in hand, swinging it in the practiced motions of a kendo practitioner. The  _consistency_ of those motions was rather low, although that could be blames on the series of empty alcohol bottles rolling around the rooftop.

Miku sighed, reaching into her pocket for her Player Pin; sure enough, there were several Noise sigils floating around him, and she quickly drew them forward. The civilian faded out as the Noise emerged - two corehogs and a popguin - and as Len invoked his cane, Miku realized that she had yet to make use of her  _Camellia_ pin. The slider quickly charged forward, and she raised her hand towards it.

A sphere of what looked like _water_ appeared in the air between her and the penguin; the Noise collided with it and was knocked back, and the orb seemed to ricochet away. Len promptly dashed forward, knocking it higher with a swing of his cane; Miku caught it before it hit the ground with a skyward pillar of ice from her _Azure Snow_.

Suddenly, the pain in her mind intensified; she stumbled back, drawing Haku's attention as the corehogs started launching quills into the air. As they hit the ground, she and Len quickly maneuvered out of the way; then Miku lit her _Blossom_  fire beneath the one closest to Len, giving him a cue to slam his cane into it. The pain got stronger the longer her fire burned; eventually she broke off, falling to her knees as Len finished the Noise off.

He quickly realized what was happening. "Get back!" he insisted. "I'll deal with the last one!"

Haku helped Miku to her feet, guiding her towards the elevator as Len rushed the corehog. His cane had a lot of versatility; he caught the hook around the Noise's neck and dragged it into a flip, slamming it roughly into the ground before thrusting at it roughly with the tip. Miku briefly lit her flame under it again, speeding up the process slightly, but almost immediately broke it off as her head started to throb.

Eventually, the Noise was gone; Haku called the elevator as the civilian faded back in, and she was relieved to see him pick up a bottle, consider it, and then throw it at a nearby trash can (although his current state of inebriation meant he missed it by a fair margin). The three of them quickly entered, and Miku almost collapsed against the wall as Len hit the button for the ground floor.

"Thanks for that," Haku admitted.

"Don't worry about it," Len insisted, turning to Miku. "What's going on with you?"

'I don't know,' Miku mouthed, grasping her forehead. The pain was slowly ebbing away, and by the time the doors opened on the ground floor, she was able to stand without much trouble. They quickly made their way out into the plaza, and Miku drew out her phone.

 _I'm pretty sure there's something on the top of 39 that's causing this_ , she tapped out _. Every time I'm up there, my head starts pounding._

"Well, we call it the 'heart of DIVA' for a reason," Haku admitted. "All the city's stray emotions gather up there. Some people can feel it better than others, and it's all the stronger in the UG."

 _It doesn't feel like emotion, though_ , Miku argued _. It's just pain._

Haku gave her a look. "And you think emotions can't cause you pain?"

'Point.'

Len sighed. "Hey, sorry to guilt-trip you, but if the GM's not gonna give us our pass-out times we can't keep camping in the Garden. Do you know any place we could spend the night? I mean, I doubt the apartment buildings are Player-accessible."

Haku blushed. "Well, not the apartments..."

"Wait, what?"

The watcher glanced around. "You have to promise me you won't breathe a word of this after the Game," she warned.

"I already do not like where this is heading."

**Taketori overnight sensation  
Chapter Closed**


	28. The 4th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Blatant reference and quotes from a nice little Kingdom Hearts fanfic on FFN by the name of 'Hotel Hearts'. Strongly suggest checking it out. Haven't actually read the thing myself in ages, so apologies if I'm off on a few bits.

Len realized rather unpleasantly that getting out of the Reaper's Game was going to take some getting used to. There was a terrifying level of unfamiliarity when he woke up on something  **soft** ; why did it feel so abnormal to wake up on a comfortable surface?

He opened his eyes.

Then again, maybe it was just a matter of  **where** that comfortable surface was...

* * *

_"Tell me you're not serious."_

_Haku shook her head at Len's objection. They were standing in Cybernation Plaza, where a towering hotel resided - completely lacking in any Reaper skulls - and the watcher had just informed them of something unpleasant as the sun was going down. "I am serious."_

_Len turned to Miku, who had a crimson expression somewhere between terror and confusion. "You're telling me that the Conductor, or Composer, or whoever decided where these things go decided that the regular hotel isn't a place Players can talk business with, but the **love hotel** is?"_

_"More than just that," Haku insisted. "Show the receptionist your Player Pins, she'll scan them. If you're a Player in the current Game, they won't charge you at the counter. They bill the Reaper collective instead."_

_Miku buried her face in her hands. Len sighed. "Why do they even think the Players want to-"_

_"Hey," Haku argued. "You're already dead, there's no guarantee you're gonna come back to life, some Players are more likely to get erased than clear missions if the mission involves a fight, and it's not like anything's gonna carry back to the RG. You don't exactly want to get it on in the middle of the street, do you?"_

_"We're the only two Players in the Game," Len argued. "We're not gonna waste time 'getting it on' at all!"  
_

_"Cul's up to something," Haku observed, "and that something involves not issuing missions. If you want a bed to sleep in, get one here."_

_She took off, and Len was sorely tempted to just turn around and run; but then he glanced at Miku. The occurrence atop 39 seemed to have counteracted any energy she'd picked up from her cola at Galaxias, and Len knew that sleeping in the Garden of the White Knight wasn't going to help her at all._

_"...Come on," he prompted, beckoning for her to follow him._

_They made their way into the building. Sure enough, nobody in the hotel lobby even seemed to notice them as, per Haku's instructions, they made they way to an apparent elevator that read **Employees Only**. Hitting the button to call it caused the doors to open immediately, and they stepped inside; anyone would look in and swear it was just an ordinary elevator of the double-ended variety._

_The doors closed behind them, and Len tapped the 'floor' buttons in succession; 5-4-6-4-3-6-6._

_The opposite door opened, revealing another - significantly more extravagant - lobby behind it. Immediately beside the entrance was a bulletin board with several informational postings... and the Game's skull-and-cross slashes in red on the bottom corner. Awkwardly, Len and Miku made their way to the reception desk, where a lithe girl stood dressed in a uniform... and a headband that looked like it wasn't part of the ensemble._

_"Welcome to Hotel Hearts," she greeted, "what can I do for you?"_

_"Um..." Len murmured. "We were instr-"_

_"Oh!" The receptionist girl had her eye on Len's Player Pin, still pinned to his shirt. "Black Skull pins. You're with the R club?"  
_

_Len nodded, drawing the pin off his chest; Miku reached into her pocket and drew hers out as well as he asked, "We were told you had to scan these?"_

_The receptionist took his and reached behind the counter. Quiet for a moment, and then a light 'ding' as she drew it back out. "You're good..." She handed the pin back to Len, and when Miku made to hand hers over she just waved her down. "What can I get for you?"_

_"Give us the room with the softest bed you've got," Len insisted._

_"Ooh, rough sorts." The receptionist's comment caused Len to blush as she dropped low, coming back up with a key. "Room 1412."_

_Len accepted the key and quickly made his way to the elevator, Miku following behind him. They found their room soon enough; the next room over, 1414, had the door open and a janitor's cart sitting in the doorway, and a girl's voice from inside proclaimed,_ _"That never gets old."_

_"You know you're here to clean the place, right?" argued a boy's voice as Len unlocked the door. "I still haven't taught you how to clean out the bear's mouth."_

_They could not get inside fast enough. "The bear's... mouth?"_

_"Never underestimate the creativity a pair could produce in perversion. And don't get me started on the stuff people throw in the fireplace."_

_Len quickly closed the door, and the dialogue from outside ceased; the rooms were soundproofed. To describe the room inside as 'extravagant' would be an understatement, everything looked like it was made from soft feathers (with none of the sneeze-inducing pieces that would result from **actual** feathers); a couch nearby looked like it could comfortably fit two people lying down, and as Miku made her way to the bed she nearly fell over._

_"You get your rest," Len instructed her, scanning the area to find a built-in washroom that he **hoped** was fully functional. "I'm gonna try and get the Garden off of me."_

* * *

The washroom had indeed been fully functional; a shower had gotten most of the Garden off of Len, and some rubbing with a wet washcloth had been enough to tidy up his clothes. Miku was still sound asleep when he woke up on the couch the next morning, and Len quickly pulled out his phone to check for messages.

"Still no missions," he observed. What exactly was the Game Master up to that involved not issuing missions? Haku had seemed convinced that it wasn't the matter of laziness that Azuki and Matcha had implied, that there  _was_ something up... but what kind of plan would involve giving the Players free reign for most of the week?

An off-hand glance at the time revealed it was almost noon. Surprising what a soft bed does to one's ability to sleep in.

* * *

"And... active."

Gumi quickly pocketed her phone as the modulator decal on Azuki and Matcha's shop went from white to red. "That should stop your fight clubbers from trying to use the place," she told the Support Reapers.

"I hope this is what they were talking about," Matcha murmured.

"Silent Beat's not that big," Gumi argued. "What else could they mistake for an empty building?"

"You've got a point there," Matcha admitted.

The Composer took off, and Azuki groaned, stretching her arms skyward. "Jeez," she murmured. "Missionless Games get real boring, real fast."

"You think Yowane was right?" Matcha wondered. "About Cul having a plan?"

"It's Cul," Azuki insisted. "Yowane's just being paranoid. Come on, when was the last time you saw Cul do anything she didn't absolutely have to?"

Matcha opened her mouth to object, and then closed it uncertainly. After a moment, she sheepishly offered, "Well, she doesn't like it when someone hogs a machine at her arcade."

Azuki rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure she  _does_ have to," she argued, "at least long-term. If the customers know you let everyone have a chance, they're more likely to become regulars."

"Hey, are you guys open?"

The Reapers turned to find Len and Miku approaching from Cybernation Plaza. "Why are you looking for pins already?" Matcha asked. "We told you, you can't-"

"Can't take them back to the RG, I know," Len interrupted, reaching up to take a pin off his shirt. "Do you have any of these?"

Matcha recognized the panda/polar bear design on the pin. "Hate to break it to you," she insisted, "but specific psychs only work for specific people. If it works for you, it's probably not gonna work for Miku."

'Told you,' Miku mouthed.

"Then how come it worked for Rin?" Len argued.

Azuki blinked. "Um... That's a very good question," she admitted. "What's the psych on that one?"

Len turned it over in his hands. "Not a hundred percent sure," he admitted. "When I was partnered with Rin, it didn't seem to do much, but since this week started my hits with this one have gotten a lot weaker." He tapped his cane-and-tophat pin. "I'm thinking it much just be a reactive effect."

The Support Reapers exchanged glances. "Tell you what," Azuki insisted. "We'll let you try. But you can't sell it back to us if it doesn't work, okay?"

"That's fair, thanks."

The trio stepped inside, and Matcha made her way behind a counter where the pin display was. Miku was tapping at a memo, and as Len approached she turned the screen to face Azuki.  _Where do you get these pins?_

"The pins come from the Composer," Azuki explained. "Or, well, I think it's the Composer."

Miku raised her gaze. 'Who else-?'

"We're not supposed to talk about that," Matcha interrupted before Azuki could reply. "Get a pair of wings and maybe we can discuss."

Azuki turned back to answering Miku's initial question. "Galaco hands out Player Pins during inductions, and at the start of each Game, me and Matcha distribute psych pins."

"How do you know what pins work for what Player?" Len inquired.

Azuki looked awkward. "Well... we don't," she admitted. "What happens in DIVA is, we issue each Player at least one blank pin that's formatted to channel psychs. Then they get altered to produce a specific psych that'll work for that Player. Almost every new Player means at least one new design, and twenty-five percent of the time, a new design means a new psych. Every time there's a new design, we get a shipment of pins with _that_ design that are locked to produce  _that_ psych."

Matcha set a  _Love-Hate_ pin on the countertop. "Which means this is guaranteed to do the same thing for you as the one you've got."

Miku tapped at her memo again as Len paid for the pin.  _Then how come you've given me a new pin with a new psych at the start of every Game?_

"Orders come from up top," Azuki replied. "They tell us which Player gets how many new pins. We noticed your old ones missing at the start of your third week, and got you new copies of the same ones."

"You're a bit of a miracle painter, though," Matcha admitted, drawing Miku's attention. "Ninety-three percent of Players in  **all**  Undergrounds can use a grand total of  **one**  pin. A scant **six** percent can use two." She beckoned to Len. "I thought the remaining one percent was a myth. I've never heard more than **rumors** about anyone with more than two, _anywhere_. You're in a very select group of people."

Len picked up the  _Love-Hate_ pin. "Four pins so far," he observed, approaching Miku. "Let's see if you can make five."

* * *

As it turned out, she couldn't make five. Even when she had a  _Love-Hate_  pinned on her garb (and standing out like crazy next to the simplistic designs of her four pins that read Beneath a thousand cherry trees...), Len's cane hits weren't doing any more to the Noise than they had before; nor did the psychs from Miku's own pins seem any stronger.

"You remember what I told you, about the shapeshifting kitsune on Day 5 last week?" Len asked as they took out the last of a set of Noise. When Miku nodded, he continued; "It was fighting with those same orbs you started using yesterday."

Miku only tapped her  _Camellia_ pin. 'This one,' she mouthed, before pulling off the panda and polar bear, tossing it back to Len.

Len caught it, eyeing her pins. "You get that one at the start of this week?" he asked, to which Miku nodded again. "Guess your luck ran out there."

'Guess so.'

**Cause Resonance  
Chapter Closed**


	29. The 5th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> The World Ends With You is the kind of game that I would have no remorse about hacking for the sake of running wild with certain late-game items. The problem is that I have the Solo Remix. On a gaming console, hacking is used for gameplay exploitation. On a mobile device, hacking is used for illegal bypasses of in-app purchases. That makes it harder to find what I'm looking for.  
> Of course, morons who don't understand the difference between a cheat and instructions on how to achieve a secret don't help matters...

"Fight club hasn't been active. Looks like it was the pin shop after all."

Gumi's observation caused Gakupo to give a relieved sigh. "Well, that's a relief," he admitted. "The last thing DIVA needs is organized fighting. Take it out of Diola entire, why don't they."

"Quite," Gumi agreed, taking a seat nearby. "So, how is our Game Master's little plot doing?"

"Hatsune seems to have lowered her guard nigh entirely," Gakupo replied. "And Kagamine seems... preoccupied. I imagine her intentions will be successful."

"Delectable. She deserves a reward for this."

Gakupo spoke up as she got to her feet. "Composer, if... if I could just ask you one question?"

Gumi turned to him. "You can ask," she assured him. "But I can't guarantee I'll be allowed to answer."

"Allowed to?" Gakupo didn't understand.

"You know how it is with Angels, Gakupo," Gumi warned. "No one but the Composer is supposed to even know about the Higher Plane. Even the Conductor is hardly supposed to know more than 'there is a Producer'. DIVA is an anomaly that I'm **not** the only one who knows about any of it. I can't stop you from asking, but if the answer has _anything_ to do with their workings, I can't answer."

The Conductor sighed. "Then... I'll spare you the trouble of keeping quiet," he offered.

The Composer smiled. "I appreciate that."

* * *

"Hey, any luck yesterday?"

Azuki's inquiry as Len and Miku arrived at Rouge Square, roughly around noon, only earned a shake of the head from Kagamine. "Not even a little bit," he admitted. "You were right, nothing doing."

"Can't say I didn't warn you," Azuki reprimanded. "No resale."

"I know," Len insisted. "We're going to Galaxias, you coming?"

"Sorry," Azuki admitted, "I'm meeting Matcha for karaoke at Cybernation."

She took off down I_O Walk, and Len and Miku made their way to the sweets shop. Galaco seemed to have had a very trying day thus far, slumped on a seat behind the counter; at the bell of the door's opening, she shot up, only to breathe a sigh when she saw the Players. "Oh, it's just you."

'Long day?' Miku mouthed.

"You would not believe," Galaco admitted. "I've  **never** had the kind of crowd I had this morning. And I just restocked yesterday, too." She shook her head. "What can I get you?"

"Don't worry about it," Len insisted.

Galaco wasn't about to let him off that easily. "No, no, you've come here. What are you looking for?"

Len sighed. "Well, something that'll waste our time," he admitted. "Considering we haven't gotten a mission for the last four days and fighting Noise that might erase us isn't the best way to spend it.

"I'm not sure what you thought you'd find at a  _sweets shop_ that would help you with that," Galaco argued. "Why not hit Cul's arcade?"

"Cul," Len echoed. "Isn't that the Game Master?"

"Oh, please," Galaco reprimanded. "Don't write it off just because the GM runs it. Would you stop coming here if I ended up being GM next week?"

"Depends how hard you hit me," Len argued.

Galaco rolled her eyes as Miku smacked his shoulder. "None of the Players  _before_ the judgement were this petty," she muttered.

Miku turned at that, surprised. Len's curiosity was likewise piqued. "Judgement?" he asked. "What judgement?"

"DIVA is undergoing some kind of... evaluation," Galaco explained. "None of us really have all of the specifics. Anyways, as far as I know, the only effect on the Game is how fast it's happening."

"And what does that have to do with my pettiness?"

"It doesn't," Galaco insisted. "Sorry, I'm just using a frame of reference. Talking to myself. I'm sure you've done something like that, too."

"Once or twice," Len admitted.

Galaco glanced at the clock. "Actually," she admitted, "if you wanna kill some time, I've got a shipment of new products coming in in about fifteen minutes. Lend me a hand and I'll give you a free week of orders when you're back to life."

* * *

"You are  **so** lucky the Game is on, or I'd just leave you behind."

The sun was going down on Diola; a few too many drinks during a karaoke session had let to Matcha making some... questionable decisions regarding her wardrobe. The staff had given her fair warning that they'd drag her out of the bar if she kept it up - and, knowing that there were limits to what the Composer's influence could stop people from noticing, Azuki had decided to take Matcha outside herself.

At Azuki's reprimand, Matcha grumbled unpleasantly. "It's not my fault they don't know how to have fun."

"What happened here?" Len's inquiry drew Azuki's attention; he and Miku looked like they'd been worn out pretty thoroughly. When Matcha turned towards them, Len found himself reeling back, averting his gaze; Miku's face turned pink as she closed her eyes.

'A few too many?' she mouthed.

"A few too many," Azuki confirmed.

"A few too many  _prudes_ , maybe," Matcha muttered. "C'mon, Azuki, let's find somewhere a little looser."

Miku could barely believe what she was hearing; calm and no-nonsense Matcha had turned into quite the showgirl. Azuki only shook her head, leading her forward. "I am not letting you anywhere near a modulator decal until you sober up," she protested.

The Players waited until the Support Reapers' voices were sufficiently far away; then Len turned round, and Miku opened her eyes. "Remind me to  _never_ go to karaoke with a Reaper."

"Some of us can compose ourselves when we're drunk."

A smirk rose on Miku's face as she turned towards the voice - and quickly vanished when she saw its owner, for Lily looked like she'd been through some degree of hell. Her eyes were bagged like she'd gone a few nights without sleep, and her hair was a tangled mess; her wings were limp, and her arms were wrapped in bandages  _stained with red._

'Holy shit,' Miku exclaimed soundlesssly, 'what happened to you?!'

Len's reaction was quite lower-key. "Who did you pick a fight with?"

"A better question is who I'm  _going_ to pick a fight with," Lily admitted. Then, when the Players took defensive stances; "No, no, sorry. That came out wrong. That's not what I meant. Sorry, I've had better weeks."

"I bet," Len admitted.

Lily sighed. "Look, that's not what I'm here for. I wanted to give you some advice. Do yourselves a favour and spend the night near 39."

"39? What's happening around 39?"

"Cul's a lazy worker," Lily insisted. "When the Composer tells her to get off her ass, she's going to try and be tricky rather than clever. Give her as few chances to do so as you can."

She didn't give them the chance to ask anything more; she took off, leaving Len and Miku confused.

"...Think we should do it?" Len asked. "How can we be sure she's not trying to get us erased?"

Miku glanced in the direction Lily had gone. There was something decidedly  **off** about the way the Harrier had been acting - no taunting, no smart-assing, and no  _motorcycle_.

'I'm sure.'

* * *

"Son of a bitch."

Midnight was fast approaching, and Cul - standing on a rooftop along Amaretto - was most displeased to see Hatsune and Kagamine had taken up position atop the 39 building. "Little devil figured me out. How the hell am I supposed to do this now?" She took a displeased seat on the ledge. "I can't knock them out and relocate them, that'd give me away. And it would wake them up on time." Glancing in the direction of Rouge Square; "Maybe Pain Crave would... No." She scoffed. "It's not far enough. And if I get Support to set up walls, they're just gonna go soft and break them when they show up."

After a long moment, a thought occurred to her, and she reached into her pocket and drew out her phone, dialing a number.

_"Naka Gumi."_

"Composer, it's Cul."

_"How's your plot going?"_

"Not as well as I would have liked. Hatsune's on 39."

Gumi cursed on the other end of the line.  _"Of course she is. Kagamine knows better than to- Wait, **on** 39?"_

"Yeah. They're camping out on the rooftop plaza."

_"...No, that won't make up for it."_

"What?"

_"Nothing. So, why are you calling me? I can't extend the boundaries on Pain Crave."_

Cul blinked. "I... hadn't thought of that," she admitted. "I think I've got an idea, but I want to run it by you first." She glanced in the direction of I_O Walk.

"How do you feel about me putting something at the Await?"

**Ambitious!  
Chapter Closed**


	30. The 6th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> When you haven't got a covert Composer for a partner, lying to you about what his tracker does, a Game with no missions is incredibly boring. The last four chapters have pretty much been Joshua's week from the perspective of any Player other than Neku.

_" **WHAT!?** "_

Cul winced, pulling her phone at arm's length as Gumi yelled at her through the line; an offhand glance at the time revealed midnight had just struck. "Okay," she admitted, pulling the phone back to her ear, "I guess I kind of asked for that."

 _"Damn right you asked for that!"_ Gumi snapped.  _"I can't clear you to give the Players a target in the Otherworld! What if they decide to-"_

"Woah, woah, woah," Cul insisted, "back up. That's not what I said."

_"Huh?"_

"I don't want to put it in the Otherworld," Cul explained. "I just want it in the garden."

Gumi sighed.  _"...Well, why the hell do you even want it there?"_ she asked.  _"I can't let you issue a time limit less than 60 minutes, and the Await's not that far from 39."_

"Yes, but the Players don't know that, do they?" Cul argued.

Silence.

"...Gumi?"

A giggle from the other end, one that escalated into a joyous laugh. _"Oh, shit!"_ she cheered.  _"You clever little sneak!"_

Cul smirked. "Progress isn't made by hard workers, Composer."

 _"You're clear,"_ Gumi told her.  _"I'll tell Gakupo to stay away."_ She hung up, and Cul pocketed her phone. With a devilish smirk, she turned and leapt from one rooftop to the next, making her way towards I_O Walk.

Clueless to the silent figure who stood at street level, nursing her bandaged arms.

* * *

Miku was the one who had suggested sleeping  _atop_ 39 so the Game Master wouldn't be tempted to wall off part of the surrounding plaza. Sure enough, she was regretting her suggestion; the constant pain that Haku had suggested to be DIVA's stray emotions, although much less... intense when she wasn't fighting something, was enough to keep her awake despite her best efforts. She didn't understand why it only happened on the rooftop, though; _within_ 39, she didn't feel a thing.

She had just gotten to her feet and was considering a brief visit into the building (which was open 24-hours) when her phone went off.

With a silent scream, she scrambled back; Len briefly stirred on the rooftop as she dug one hand into her pocket. Sure enough, it was a message from the Reapers - at one o'clock in the morning, no less! Haku was right, Cul was a crafty sort; and as Miku opened the message, she was distressed to find it made no sense.

 _Mission: Defeat the giant flier between I_O and Cybernation_  
_You have 60 minutes_  
_Fail, and face erasure_  
_~The Reapers_

A strike of pain told her the timer had appeared; Len yelled as it appeared, shooting upright. "What the hell-?" Horror crossed his feet as he saw it appear. "A mission!?"

'Come on!' Miku mouthed, dashing towards the elevator; as soon as it arrived, she and Len charged inside, and they hit the button for the ground floor.

"Between I_O and Cybernation?" Len muttered as he read the message. "What the hell does that mean? There is no 'between' those two. Unless..." He turned to Miku. "You think it's another giant crow? Might be on Amaretto or Parallel."

Miku shrugged. 'We'll find out.'

* * *

"Oh, you bitch."

Cul had naturally not wanted the Players to be clued in to the location of their target, and thus had sent out a warning to all Reapers that they were not to enter or exit the Otherworld's Await - a garden that Gakupo kept trim in the nook between the buildings of I_O Walk, Amaretto, Parallel Circuit, and Cybernation Plaza, which housed an elevator leading to Reaper territory. Lily had been halfway down the elevator when the message went out; she quickly hit the emergency stop, then directed the lift back up to the Await.

Once it was moving, she pulled her revolver out of its holster and dug into her pocket for her rounds. The chamber of a Reaper-issue revolver was largely decorative, as one of a Reaper's powers was a relatively mundane ability to fuel the gun; but if the situation should require, a Reaper could load the chamber with empowered bullets that would bestow all of its shots with certain properties. Every Reaper was issued a revolver, but only to give them options - Lily was the only one who ever carried hers, let alone used it.

 _Instant Noise Erasure -_ Reapers could immediately erase their own Noise, but another Reaper's Noise required an extra boost. Rare that it was necessary, but useful when it was. Lily decided against it; the instant erasure would make Cul suspicious.

 _Self-Cross Combo_ \- it was tricky to pull of the 'cross combo' attacks that Players could if one couldn't give their shadow its own form, and Una was the only one who had been able to do that. But the flashes of a cross were noticeable from a kilometer away in the dark.

 _Time Bomb Ranger_  - more of an option for dealing with offensive Players than a tool of necessity. Fire the bullet, it hits, three seconds later it explodes in whatever direction it can go through. It wasn't going to do her any good in this situation.

 _Blast of Ninjutsu_ \- completely unnoticeable to Noise, Players, Reapers, and quite possibly Angels (although Lily couldn't vouch for that last one). No sound, no visual, and no  _impact_ ; the shot would connect and harm without the victim ever knowing where it came from.

Lily loaded that one into her revolver, pocketing the rest as the elevator arrived. She quickly gave her surroundings a glance to make sure Cul wasn't watching the Garden - not that she'd see the elevator from the rooftops, as it was hidden in the shadows of several trees - before slipping into the nearby bushes; then, once the biker was sure she was completely concealed, she looked around for the giant flier that was the Players' target. Sure enough, there it was. Flapping about the Await was a giant golden bat with cobalt waves for wings, not all too different from the one Hatsune had fought in her second week. It would be a powerful threat to the Players at this hour; not dark enough to give it complete invulnerability, but not bright enough to incapacitate it, either. Lily quickly raised her revolver, took a deep breath, and fired.

A flash of darkness - visible only to the one who caused it - appeared on the bat's midsection... and the pteropus Noise didn't even react to it.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Len and Miku had run a lap around the north half of DIVA District, looking desperately for their target - and to no avail. They were down to  **10:02**  as they arrived at the I_O/Amaretto intersection again, and Len was speaking for their shared panic as they scanned the street. "What the hell is between these?! How are we supposed to-!?"

"Miku! Len!"

The call from nearby cut Len off mid-cry; Haku was approaching them, waving. "Haku?"

"Come on!" the ex-Reaper called. "This way!"

Knowing better than to ignore her, Miku quickly renewed her pace, causing Len to dash after her as Haku started in the direction of Ashes Square. To the Players' concern, however, a dark-winged figure leapt down from a nearby rooftop; Miku recognized Revo Cul as she landed in Haku's way. "What the hell are you doing, Yowane?" she snapped. "You can't just-"

She was interrupted when Haku, barely slowing down,  _shouldered her_ out of the way; Cul fell roughly to the ground, her wings scraping against the pavement, as her attacker snapped, "Shut up, paladin." Miku and Len gave the GM a wide berth in their pursuit of Haku - who took a sharp turn between two buildings. Len felt the familiar shift to 'Noise frequency' as he did the same, and he quickly invoked his cane as they emerged in a surprisingly  _lush_ green area.

A golden bat was flapping about in the middle of it.

Haku blinked, confused. "What...?"

Len had no such hesitation; he quickly hurled his cane forward, and Miku swept her hand to impale the Noise with an icy pillar. The thrown weapon connected first by a matter of milliseconds; by the time the ice faded, the bat had disappeared.

"Was that it!?" Len yelled.

Miku glanced at her hand and loosed a soundless sigh of relief. 'That was it,' she mouthed.

"How was _that_ **it**?" Haku murmured.

Len slumped against the nearby wall. "I don't care how," he insisted. "That a mission, that means we have our pass-out, right?"

With a shake of her head, Haku stepped back. "Yeah, you do. Might want to wait a bit, Cul's gonna be after my ass."

She took off out between the buildings she'd come through. After a few moments' observation of the garden, Miku made to follow her and found Cul approaching. "Where's Yowane?"

Miku pointed in the direction Haku had gone, and Cul took off.

Len turned to her. "That's our GM?" he asked.

'Pretty much.'

* * *

"What do you  ** _mean_** you're not gonna punish her for that?!"

Gumi shook her head at Cul's objection. "I don't like what she did any more than you do," she reprimanded. "I'm not gonna pretend I like the fact that your mission didn't work."

Cul groaned. "Then why aren't-?!"

"Reapers always repay their debts," Gumi reminded her. "Azuki told me, they helped Haku with some suicidal drunkard on Day 3. So she helped them back. Plain and simple."

"She's not a Reaper anymore," Cul snapped.

The Composer shook her head. "I'm as confused about that as you are," she insisted. "Still, if this is the only Reaper's virtue she'll live up to, I'm not going to stop her." She got to her feet. "In any case, tomorrow's Day 7. You can make them suffer for living this long. I'm giving you free reign to set up _whatever_ you want."

That offer caught Cul off-guard. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Gumi insisted. "You wanna ride a drake? Go for it. You wanna set up some trigger bombs? I invite it. Promise me you'll erase her, and I'll look the other way."

Cul glanced down at her hands as the Composer stepped forward.

"Where are you gonna be?"

**Bitter-Edge  
Chapter Closed**


	31. The 7th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You're all gonna hate me for this.

"That felt a lot nicer than it probably should have..."

Miku was inclined to agree; after five days falling asleep because she just couldn't stay awake any more, and waking up in ominous impatience, it was refreshing to be forced into slumber at the end of a mission, and wake up somewhere else entirely because the Game Master - or perhaps the Conductor in this case - decided you're not allowed to sleep anymore. After a moment's thought, however, she drew out her phone and tapped at a memo;  _Going to bed in the RG is going to feel so weird after we return to life._

Len's smile faltered. " **If** we return to life," he reminded her. "This is my second game. This is  **your**   _fourth_ game. How do we know we're ever gonna go back?"

'We will,' Miku promised.

Their phones went off; the Game was about to end.

 _Mission: The Game Master is a soldier in shining armour. Defeat her._  
_You have 600 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers_

"More riddles," Len mused. With a chuckle, he added, "I wouldn't exactly call that Cul a soldier after the trick she pulled. And she's not wearing anything resembling armour."

Miku started tapping at her memo again.  _Soldier in shining armour = white knight_

"Oh, duh." Len slapped his forehead. "The Garden. Of course."

'Let's go.'

* * *

They had woken up in Starmine Square - it was a short walk from there to the Garden of the White Knight. Cul was sitting at the water's edge when they arrived; as the Players showed up, she got to her feet. "Good morning," she greeted. "Sleep well?"

"No thanks to you," Len reprimanded.

Cul shrugged. "I let you fall asleep before midnight, didn't I?"

"You gave us a mission at one in the morning!" Len protested. "In a place we didn't even know existed!"

"Only because you laid down on 39," Cul reprimanded. "If you'd called it a night somewhere else, I would've just inverted your coordinates."

Len scoffed, glancing at Miku before turning back to the Game Master. "You were gonna make us run clear across Diola?"

The Game Master shook her head. "Not Diola," she admitted. "Just DIVA."

Miku took a fighting stance, prompting Len to roll his eyes. "Whatever." Holding his hand out ready to grab his cane; "Are we gonna do this or what?"

"...I cede."

Len blinked. "What?"

"I give up," Cul elaborated. "I admit defeat. You win. Mission Clear."

" _What?!_ " Len almost face-planted. "You're..." He glanced at his palm, and shock shook him as he saw the timer had disappeared. " **What!?** "

"Oh, come on," Cul reprimanded. "After the way you trashed Una last Game? After Hatsune's survived _four weeks_ of missions? I'm not stupid enough to try and fight that, you're just gonna waste me. I'm much better off accepting my defeat like a good little Reaper."

Miku shook her head, pointing to Cul and then to her own palm. Len realized what she was saying. "Yeah, what about you? Una said they wouldn't let you. Don't  _you_ have a timer!? It's gonna erase you if you don't erase us, right?"

Cul glanced at her hand. "Well, yeah," she admitted, and as she lowered it the numbers were visible, counting down. "I get ticked out at eleven. But what's gonna hurt more? The instantaneous disappearance that happens when my timer hits zero? Or a fight to the erasure with DIVA's four-time veteran?"

She started forward, stepping between the Players.

"Enjoy your life back." 

* * *

The mission had started at 10:00; she had thirteen hours to kill after Len and Miku passed out, and spent most of it at her own arcade. Certain jackasses had spent the entire week thinking that the owner being absent meant they were free to hog the machines; the employees had been struggling to keep them off, and though they had been mostly successful, it was still a great relief to everybody when Revo Cul walked in the door and scared the jackasses in question into leaping from their seats.

"If you try to hog a machine while I'm alive, I will gut you," the Reaper warned. "If you try to hog a machine while I'm dead, I will  **burn** you. If you exorcise my ghost and _then_ try to hog a machine, I'm going to drag you down to hell with me."

The arcade was empty by the time she was down to five hours, and Cul decided to spend the time trying to get her name on the high score lists as a parting welcome. She was still hunched over a _Space Paranoids_ cabinet when the door opened; the setting sun was shining in at just the right angle to silhouette the newcomer, but a gleam off something silver perched on her forehead told Cul who it was.

"Evening, Composer," Cul greeted. "Care for a round?"

"You gave up."

Gumi's voice was darker than any Reaper had ever heard it. Cul checked her score and pulled her hands off the controls, satisfied with her score, before replying, "Yeah. I did."

"You didn't even try to erase them," Gumi spat. "You wouldn't even put in the effort. They showed up in the Garden, and you just handed them the victory!"

"So what if I did?" Cul argued. "You think every GM needs to pull off a TPK? Some of us just wanna put together a good story."

" _I didn't brand you Game Master to tell a story!_ " Gumi roared. " _I ordered you to erase Hatsune!_ "

Cul sighed. "It's my party," she reprimanded, "I can do what I want to. You didn't make me your proxy, you gave me full GM privileges. And you didn't make the condition ' _erase_ the Game Master', you made it ' _defeat_ the Game Master'."

Gumi seethed. "You tried to drive her crazy," she observed. "You tried to give them a mission they couldn't clear."

"Give me a little credit," Cul requested, a smirk on her. "I'm willing to make some minimal effort." Her expression fell as she added; "Still not quite sure why it was small when they got there... but it was, and that was Day 6. It's not my fault a fight hurts more than a quick death."

She turned away, starting towards the back room.

"A fight hurts less than this."

The Composer snapped her fingers - and pain. Sudden, incomparable pain wrought Cul's body, and she screamed, writhing as she fell forward. The torment continued as she turned round, expecting to see a white skull upon the front window - but the modulator decal was still crimson.

They were in the RG.

She turned her tortured gaze to Gumi, and found a remorseless glare returning it until her vision faded out... and so did she.

 ** Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku **  
**Chapter Closed**


	32. The Next Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> This chapter's namesake is easy to get stuck in your head, and has a much better tune than some OTHER songs that are easy to get stuck in your head. Like the theme song of every kid's show ever, some of which were playing in the tech department the other day.

"Well? Which one is it gonna be?"

Luka, Meiko, and Kaito were at  _Charioteer_ again - and this time she was the one trying the outfit on. Or, outfit **s** , rather. Their planned performance called for Meiko to have an ornate courtesan's outfit; however, she had also been rather taken with Kaito's militant garb, and after some heated conversation, they had agreed that such a garb would be rather fitting for her role as well.

She was currently wearing the military garb, turning to test its flexibility. At Izuriha's question, she shrugged. "You know... I think we'll take both."

"You're paying the extra," Luka muttered as she retreated into the stall.

"I figured," Meiko admitted.

Izuriha wheeled her way to the counter, and they rang the garb through and departed in short order. "Let's hit Cryptic before we go," Kaito requested. "I'm craving mint."

"Sure," Luka agreed as she hit the elevator, "it's on me. Meiko?"

"You don't have to ask that," Meiko reprimanded, "you know my-"

She fell quiet as the elevator arrived; Kaito and Luka were both surprised to find the white-haired figure who stood there. "Haku," Luka exclaimed.

"Luka," Haku greeted. "Kaito. And... Meiko, right?"

"Have we met?" Meiko asked.

Haku shook her head. "I don't think so," she admitted. "You were in a hurry on your way to Pain Crave and never came back before your time ran out."

Meiko blinked. "You're from the Game?"

"Something like that," Haku insisted. "Come with me to the roof?"

"Sure..."

The three friends stepped into the elevator, and Haku hit the button for the rooftop plaza; as the doors closed, Luka spoke up. "Haku's a watcher in the Game," she told Meiko. "Keeps her eyes out to make sure Reapers don't break the rules."

"Not that I can really  **stop** them if they do," Haku admitted. "I just let them know when they  **are**. If they decide they'd rather have Neru on their asses, I can't do much to stop them."

"Neru?" Meiko asked.

"Reaper with a handgun," Kaito replied.

"A pair of handguns," Luka corrected.

"A pair of pairs of handguns," Haku corrected.

"Don't mess with Neru," Meiko observed. The elevator arrived at the rooftop plaza, and the four of them stepped out. "So, how's the Game? When's the next one end?"

Haku turned to her. "The next one  _did_ end," she explained. "Len and Miku were victorious."

A grim mood settled over the three bandmates. "What happened to Rin?" Kaito asked.

"Nothing happened to Rin!" Haku said quickly. "Sorry, that sounded horrible."

"That's an odd number of Players," Luka observed. "How did they survive?"

"Well," Haku admitted, "they took Len's entry fee first... and that was Kagamine Rin."

"Shit," Meiko muttered. "They would've done that last Game too, wouldn't they? If they hadn't died at the same time?"

"I would imagine, yeah," Haku confirmed. "The whole 'take the relationship between the Kagamine twins' was a backup plan."

"So, Len and Miku won," Luka mused. "Who got their life back?"

"I think it was Len," Haku admitted, "but I'm not a hundred percent sure."

Kaito blinked. "What do you mean, you're not sure?" he asked. "Who came back to the RG?"

Haku shook her head. "Neither of them came back to the RG," she admitted. "The Game started this morning, and the first mission's already over."

"Wait, why didn't anyone come back to the RG?" Meiko asked.

"Well, if  _Len's_ fee was  _Rin_..."

Luka sighed. "Then Rin's fee was Len," she realized.

Meiko scoffed. "Frickin' Reapers."

**Paradichlorobenzene  
Chapter Closed**


	33. The 1st Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> This actually runs PRIOR to the previous chapter. That also happened with Kaito's "Day After" and Meiko's "1st Day", or at least concurrent.

_A strangled gasp broke through Rin's lips; she stumbled forward slightly, and terrified, she raised her gaze to a scene that had not been there a moment before. She and the Conductor stood alone in the cobalt forest - no, only she was standing. Kamui was lying on the ground, a katana lying over his chest; slowly, he got to his feet, swept the blade at the air to knock a few blades of grass off, and sheathed it._

_"What... What just happened?" Rin demanded.  
_

_"Well," Kamui admitted, "your brother just knocked me to the ground, held my own sword to my neck, and demanded I return his entry fee before I had the chance to tell him he had earned the right to be restored to life."_

_"His entry fee," Rin forced out. "You took **me** as his entry fee?"_

_"Yes."_

_Rin swore, turning away and grasping at her hair for a moment before turning back around. "You asshole," she snapped. "That's why you said you couldn't do us both at the same time, isn't it?"_

_Kamui shrugged. "More or less," he confirmed._

_"Dick," Rin snapped. "So... he earned the right to be restored to life. So he's back in the RG now?"_

_"I'm not so cruel as to do that," Kamui insisted._

_"Not so **cruel**?" Rin demanded. "How, exactly would that be cruel?"_

_"Once the Composer selects a Player to be returned to life," Kamui explained, "it occurs immediately. They awaken in their home in the Realground as though a normal day had just begun. Why would I do that, and then remove him from it again?"_

_Rin stumbled back. "Remove him?"_

_Kamui beckoned towards her. "You chose to play again, did you not?"_

_The wind howled._

_"This time, you are playing for Kagamine Len."_

* * *

Rin opened her eyes.

She was lying in Starmine Square. A loud groan rippled around the plaza as she got to her feet. "Oh, I am going to kick his  **ass**  at the end of this week," she snapped. "I don't care what he does to me, he deserves-"

A buzz from her phone cut her off; a new message had arrived.

 _Mission: Reach 39._  
_You have 60 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers_

"Well, at least the Game Masters know how to keep things fair," Rin observed, pocketing her phone. No sooner had she released it than she felt the strike of pain as the timer appeared, and she quickly checked her shirt to make sure her pins were there - her  _Scissors_  that produced her blades, her and Len's  _Love-Hate_ , and her Player Pin - before nodding. "I need a partner."

A familiar shifting caused her to turn around, and she saw several green frog Noise emerging from floating sigils, with red-waved legs and crimson eyes.

"Jeez, a pact right away really stopped you from showing up early, didn't it!"

* * *

Miku had woken up in Cybernation Plaza; the new frog Noise were a good deal tougher than the ones from her first week, as she had discovered after a bubble had moved faster than she'd expected. Even so, frogs she could outrun; in her dash down Amaretto, a scan of her pockets revealed yet another new pin. This one had a black folding fan upon the familiar pale surface, and she kept it in her hand as she found another Player approaching.

Rin saw her and raised a hand. "Miku!"

As she had with Len, Miku raised her empty hand in return, slapping Rin's palm with her own to invoke the surge of blue light that showed their pact was forged. As the Noise around them prepared to fight, Miku quickly thrust the hand holding her new pin forward; shots of light flew from her hand, slamming into the nearest frog with enough force to knock it into the air. Rin invoked her blades as she kept up the barrage, charging at the next frog with a pair of thrusts; once the first frog was gone, Miku knocked Rin's target into the air with a pillar from her _Azure Snow_ , causing it to flash as Rin stepped back and hurled her blades after it to finish it off. A flame from Miku's  _Blossom_ burned strong enough to stun the remaining frogs, and in short order, the two Players were alone.

With a sigh, Rin let her blades disappear and turned to Miku. "Somebody really hates you."

This being her fifth Game running, Miku didn't really have an argument against that. With a soundless sigh, she glanced down at her new pin; sure enough, around the edge was the same writing - Beneath a thousand cherry trees... - and on the back was the name,  _Fan Dance_.

Rin noticed the pin in her hand. "I thought you couldn't make five," she mused.

Miku's gaze shot up to her. 'What?'

"...Okay, how do I know that?" Rin raised a hand to her forehead - but that hand had her timer on it, and she quickly pulled it away. "Oh, dammit, come on. We're still on the clock."

Realizing now wasn't the time to press the question, Miku made no objections. The two of them quickly made their way to the 39 Plaza; their timers disappeared, but Miku kept her eyes out, expecting a Reaper to ambush them here - as had happened on the first day of every Game thus far.

But the UG was quiet - at least, as quiet as it could be amidst the RG's chatter.

Rin was likewise confused. "What, no ambushes? This is different."

Miku rounded on her, drawing out her phone and opening up a memo.  _How do you know this? You weren't there last week._ She checked the date to make sure that was in fact 'last week' and not 'last Game' before turning the memo to face Rin.

"I'm not quite sure," Rin admitted. "But... I think I  **was**  there last week. Like, I know I wasn't  **there** there, but... I can remember everything that happened. Almost like I was standing right by Len the whole time."

A moment's quiet; then Miku's face turned bright red, and she slammed a hand to her mouth as her terrified gaze shot up to Rin.

"Yeah," Rin admitted, "I saw you in Hotel Hearts when you thought Len wasn't looking."

* * *

"Persistent, aren't we?"

Naka Gumi stood upon a rooftop on I_O Walk, at the edge of the Otherworld's Await. From her vantage point, she could see into the plaza surrounding the 39 Building; and she had seen Kagamine and Hatsune arrive. "She just doesn't know when to quit." With a chuckle, she added, "Then again, I suppose I'm hardly one to talk. Am I?"

She turned to Avex Lily - who stood there, bound in chains.

**Antichlorobenzene  
Chapter Closed**


	34. The 2nd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> If this were a TWEWY game, I think I would design it so that you controlled Miku's partner. I mean, in battle, it would be Miku on the touch screen and her partner on the top screen (DS) or as the Partner Pin (Solo Remix), but in the field, you would control Luka on Week 1, Kaito on Week 2, etc. and Miku would be the follower.

_"Four straight Games, and she's still alive and kicking."_

_Lily seemed to be waiting at the exit of the Otherworld's elevator, when Gumi arrived after Cul's erasure. At her comment, the Composer came to a halt, turning towards the biker with a smirk on her face. "Did you seriously just say-"_

_"Okay, not **alive** ," Lily corrected. She had her arms crossed before her; the bloody bandages had been removed, and Gumi couldn't see any sign her limbs had ever been bleeding. "Think you'll do something about that this time?"_

_Gumi's smile disappeared. "Why would I do that?" she inquired._

_Lily shrugged. "She hasn't broken any rules. She hasn't been tricked by any would-be puppetmasters. She's on her way to a whole deck of pins." Gumi rolled her eyes, starting to pass Lily. "She's figured out all of your Day 7 riddles, **and** she's aided the defeat of four straight Game Masters._

_"I can't imagine keeping her in the UG is earning you any points with Black Rock Shooter."_

_The Composer slammed her foot to the ground with a sudden force, sending an echo of the step down the hallway._

_"Oh, come on," Lily reprimanded. "DIVA under judgement? Not even DIVA, but the **Underground**? If the Composer's part of the jury, the judge has to be the Producer."_

_She pulled herself off the wall. "But no one has ever accused Angels of being in a hurry. They don't care if a Player's dead for a couple years before the Game begins. What does it matter to the Higher Plane if a winner ends up younger than his twin brother? **You** 're the one who made that rule. You're considerate like that. You don't want people who survive the Game to suffer." Gumi slowly started to turn around as she continued; "Oh, you'll pull out all the stops, trying to get the Players erased. But if worse comes to worst, you'll make sure the victors can enjoy their reward._

_"So if you're running six Games close to each other, that means someone would suffer if they weren't."_

_Lily raised her left arm, revealing the scars there; cuts in her skin formed writing that couldn't be erased._

Glory 3usi9  
Hatsune Miku  
Megurine Luka  
Kagamine Rin  
Kagamine Len  
Sakine Meiko  
Honki Kaito

_Then she raised her right arm, revealing similar scars there._

Player List  
Hatsune Miku  
Megurine Luka  
Honki Kaito  
Sakine Meiko  
Kagamine Len  
Kagamine Rin

_"What do you get out of breaking up Glory Music?"_

_Gumi pulled her gaze away from the scars to look Lily in the eyes. "You think you can stand in front of the Composer and demand answers?"  
_

_Lily lowered her arms. "Don't believe for a moment I'm that stupid," she reprimanded. "But Gakupo trusts you. I won't pretend he doesn't. I don't know if he's complicit with this, or he just doesn't think you're up to anything, but you have his unfaltering loyalty. I know that. I know he's not about to come up to you and tell you to your face, you're being selfish, inconsiderate, and unfair."_

_She shook her head. "Miku wouldn't be doing this to you if the tables were turned."_

_A smile rose on Gumi's face - but this one was a threatening smile, the smile of a predator who had found her prey. "Let no one say you don't have courage," she observed._

_Her right palm collided with her left, and Lily found herself thrown against the wall, her hands dragged above her head.  
_

_"Game Master."_

* * *

To Miku's mild confusion, Day 2 found her and Rin waking up where they'd passed out on Day 1 - in the plaza surrounding 39. An odd thought rose in Miku's mind; she drew out her phone and checked her messages, mildly surprised to find all the missions from her past four Games had all been received as from the same number - and further, to find that number was registered in her phone as 'Reaper Collective'.

"Something wrong?" Rin inquired. Miku showed off the display, catching her by surprise. "Jeez, Cul wasn't kidding when they said you were a veteran." As Miku clicked back to the messages selection, Rin saw the name 'Reaper Collective'... and after a moment, she started giggling, which quickly escalated to laughing aloud as Miku turned to her.

'What?'

"I'm sorry," Rin insisted, "it's just... that's all coming from the same number. Now I'm imagining all the Reapers squabbling over a phone trying to decide who gets to send the missions."

The fact that Miku  **knew** , for certain, that all the missions were decided by the Game Master of the current Game didn't stop her from generating the mental image of Kokone, Ryuto, Una, Cul, Lily, Matcha, Azuki, and Neru all fighting for a smartphone; and not being able to audibly laugh didn't stop her from laughing so hard her sides were hurting by the time a new message had arrived.

 _Mission: Defeat the five wyrms at the five points of DIVA._  
_You have five days._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers_

"Five  **days**?!" Rin exclaimed.

'That's a first,' Miku admitted.

A strike of pain cued the timer appearing; the longer timeframe gave them much smaller numbers than previous missions, reading  **04:23:59:59** and counting. "Okay, shit," Rin muttered. "A single five-day mission. What are the 'five points' of DIVA?"

Miku quickly traced a pentagram in the air with her finger.

"Of course," Rin muttered. "The streets make a star, the five points would be the squares. What do you say we start with Cybernation?"

'Sounds good.'

* * *

_"Sixty seconds to midnight, Lily."_

_The Composer had dragged her next Game Master to the rooftop of a building surrounding the Otherworld's Await, for the next Game was imminent. As the minute turned to 11:59 PM, she turned to the biker, who had a hateful glare levelled on her. "Still going to be difficult?"_

_"What the hell do you even have against her, anyways?" Lily demanded. "What do you get out of Miku's erasure?"_

_"I thought you knew better than to demand answers," Gumi reprimanded._

_"I know better than to expect you to give them," Lily admitted. "But there's always the chance that hearing them is all it's gonna take for you to realize you're being a sour devil."_

_"Sour devil, that's a new one," Gumi observed. With a sigh, she checked her clock again. "Thirty-five seconds. You can always take the mantle willingly."_

_"Like hell," Lily spat. "No way am I going to march Miku to her death of my own volition."_

_"You can't save her," Gumi reprimanded. "Don't tell me you're going to go the way Haku did and throw your life away."_

_"This is different," Lily reprimanded._

_"Twenty seconds."_

_"You cannot make me issue missions," Lily proclaimed. "You cannot force me to give her trouble. And more than that, you cannot make me fight her."_

_"I have my ways. Ten seconds." Gumi aimed a bitter smirk at the biker. "Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five." She raised a hand to seize Lily's, bound above her head. "Four. Three. Two. One."_

_She drove her thumb into Lily's palm, and with a surge of pain, a timer had appeared there; **06:23:59:59**_

_"Avex Lily, you will be my Game Master... by proxy."_

_Lily started. "What!?"_

_"I can't make you issue missions," Gumi conceded. "But I **can** make you my proxy. All you have to do is watch the Game. You can direct the chump Noise, if you like. But the missions are on me. This was your choice."_

_"You bitch!"_

* * *

"Yeah not a whole lot of options with these. I'm thinking I should just..."

Rin made a throwing motion with one arm. She and Miku were talking about weapons on their way to Cybernation Plaza, and Miku had noticed that Rin's  _Scissors_ blades had a lot less versatility than Len's  _Trickster_ cane. "I mean, if something small gets up close, I could always, you know..." She held both hands before her like she was holding her weapons in an X as she settled on "go for a cross, but as far as offense goes, I'm better off at range." Turning to Miku; "Think we should try and snipe these wyrms? I mean, we've got a few **days** to kill."

Miku scanned her pins. The rounds from her  _Fan Dance_ looked to have a decent amount of range, but not a lot of power; everything else seemed to be more limited in how far it would work. The barrier from her  _Maple_ pin was only an offensive option at point-blank, and she still remembered being unable to light her  _Blossom_ pin from the walkways in the Silent Beat concert venue.  _You can try sniping_ , she tapped out _, but I'm gonna settle for a more middle range._

"Sounds fair."

They arrived at Cybernation Plaza, sure enough, as they approached the middle of the square, the civilians faded out, and a massive, draconic Noise appeared, in hues of blue that looked nearly black. Miku took a defensive stance, and Rin raised her hands one-two as her weapons appeared in them.

"Let's wreck it!"

**Bloody Rose  
Chapter Closed**


	35. The 3rd Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You know, considering how many Frog Noise there are, there really aren't that many Sprog Noise. I feel like there should at least be Choirsprogs. And maybe Fifensprogs, and make the Fifenfrog appear with just itself and its spawn. Turn it into a Warmech-style hidden encounter.

Miku was confused. One moment, she and Rin had just eliminated the drake in Cybernation Plaza, and had started down Silent Beat Alleyway; the next, she were lying at the northernmost point of Cybernation Plaza, drifting out of unconsciousness.

'What...?'

Rin's loud groan drew her attention. "Dammit," she muttered, getting to her feet. " _Dammit!_ Of course! A five-day mission is still a mission given! She still gave us our designated pass-out time!"

It occurred to Miku that this wasn't going to be the easy mission they had expected it to be; 'five days' in fact was a lot more limited than they expected. She quickly shot upright, stumbling slightly, and dashed in the direction of Silent Beat.

And quickly collided with a wall. 

Her head spun just briefly enough for her to catch Rin swearing. "They're making us take the long way around!" she protested. "Dammit, we don't have time for this! Come on!"

* * *

"It's not going to work..."

Gumi was in the Otherworld, fuming. As proxy, Lily's options amounted to situating Noise and directing Support; the missions and locations of the Players were up to whoever she was acting as proxy  **for** \- in this case, the Composer - who could place walls not to be watched by Support as long as they didn't directly prevent the Players from achieving their goal. However, Lily's adamant attitude when Gumi had branded her Game Master told her all she need to know - she wasn't going to be giving Support anything to do, and she  **definitely** wasn't going to be setting any Noise ambushes.

The Composer was pacing as she tried to figure out what to do next when the door opened; she turned to find her Conductor stepping in. "Oh, Gakupo," she observed half-heartedly. "What is it?"

"I..." Gakupo fell quiet, his gaze on Gumi's arm.

Gumi glanced down to find streaks of yellow and pink on her forearm. "Oh, that," she murmured. "Did you see Strength's new graffiti in Silent Beat?"

Gakupo blinked. 'Strength' was a street artist in Diola with a minor following, and he hadn't thought the Composer was part of that following. "You... leaned against it... while it was fresh?"

"I didn't realize the paint was still wet!" Gumi defended. "I didn't think spray paint **had** a 'wet' phase."

"I believe Strength actually uses traditional paints in their artwork," Gakupo argued.

"What did you want, Gakupo," Gumi sighed. "You came in here for a reason."

The Conductor shook his head. "You seem to have some rather more pressing matters to attend to," he muttered.

Gumi closed her eyes. "I appreciate that, Gakupo," she said honestly.

"I... don't suppose there's anything I could do to help," Gakupo admitted jokingly.

The offer caused Gumi to raise her gaze. "Actually... there might be."

Gakupo was not expecting that. "What? But..." He shook his head. "What could I possibly help you with? As Composer of DIVA, you have absolute purview, do you not?"

"...Not absolute," Gumi admitted. "When I took the seat... there was one thing I couldn't do." She beckoned to the fan sticking out of Gakupo's pocket. "You got that when I assigned you Conductor, didn't you?"

"Yes," Gakupo confirmed, drawing the fan out, "but I don't..." Realization crossed his face, and he turned to Gumi. "Wait, you don't mean..."

"I need to speak to Calne Ca."

* * *

"Okay, stopping us from taking the quick route, but not making us take the long way around."

Rin's voice was rather rushed as she and Miku arrived at Ashes Square. "We've still got time for this," she panted, stepping forward. "Come on out, wyrm!"

As the second drake appeared, unbeknowst to the Players, Akita Neru was watching from a nearby rooftop. "Why is she so tired already?" the enforcer Reaper muttered. "The active period has barely started. They should be fully rested. Is she just panicking?"

Quiet for a long moment; then she got to her feet, starting in the direction of Rouge Square. A ring from her cell phone drew her attention to find a call from  _Kobayashi Matcha_ ; she quickly hit answer as she dropped down from the roof. "Akita."

 _"Hey, Neru,"_ Matcha greeted.  _"Could, uh, could you do me a favour? There's something on Ryuto's old rooftop on I_O Walk."_

"What do you mean, 'something'?" Neru asked. "Like, Noise?"

_"No, not Noise. It's some kind of... warping feeling. Like when you get in range of a modulator decal? But it's not a downshift, the RG still can't see me."_

"That... doesn't make sense."

 _"Hence my confusion,"_ Matcha argued.  _"Look, could you just check it out when you get the chance? I don't want anybody blindsided by this thing."_

Neru sighed. "Yeah, I'll give it a look," she insisted. "Thanks for the heads-up."

She ended the call, her mind turning. "Modulator decals only go down to the RG," she murmured. "And they only work on enclosed spaces. Why would there be one on a rooftop? And why wouldn't it be a downshift?" She started towards the Await. "Unless it's triggering the Noise frequency... but she didn't report a fight. She sounded like she could still see the civs."

Her pace came to a halt.

"...Maybe I should tell the Composer about this." 

* * *

 

"She was promised sanctuary. We can't simply order her to show herself again."

Gumi shook her head. "I'm not going to give her an order. I'm going to make her an offer."

That comment caught Gakupo off-guard. "An offer? Of what?"

"If she will accept it, it's her choice whether to tell anyone else," Gumi insisted. "And if she won't, she'll only be furious that I told anyone else about it."

The Conductor and Composer were two of only three Reapers who knew the individual in question firsthand - and the third had been Kokone. Gakupo knew the honesty in what Gumi said. "I can't arrange it immediately," he warned. "Tomorrow, at least."

"I can wait," Gumi assured him. "Just see it arranged."

"Very well." He turned and stepped away, pondering.

_What does she want from the infamous Calne Cantus?_

**calling×calling  
Chapter Closed**


	36. The 4th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I know that these chapters seem rushed, but the missions are not the important part of this UG story right now and it happens that the important parts aren't as long as the missions are when they ARE the important part.

Miku had advised Rin  **against** rushing straight to Tengaku Square after Ashes Square's drake had been felled; she had a feeling the Game Master wasn't about to let them proceed immediately to the next fight. Sure enough, it seemed like barely an instant before she was lying on the pavement the next day.

"Dammit," Rin muttered as she got to her feet, "you were right." She scoffed. "How does the GM even time this stuff? I bet we'd be allowed to take whatever time we wanted with the drakes, and they'd still knock us out just as soon as we're done and then wake us up the next day."

 _Do you WANT to risk that?_ Miku tapped out.

Rin shook her head. "No. It's just a theory."

'Come on,' Miku mouthed; she started out of the square, and Rin quickly followed suit.

* * *

"It's time."

Gumi got to her feet at Gakupo's prompt, following him as he made his way back to the elevator that would lead the Otherworld's Await. Once they had arrived, Gakupo drew out his folding fan, spreading it open - and to Gumi's slight amusement, a seamless panel in the elevator display seemed to disappear, baring an indented section with a narrow slot. The Conductor set his finger against the edge of the indent, then folded the fan and slipped it into the slot.

He glanced at Gumi and saw no hesitation in her face; then he turned back to the display with the verbal instruction; "Machine Muzik."

The elevator began to descend. Gumi felt an uncomfortable shift, and glanced at her arms as waved lines traced her flesh; Gakupo's garb had longer sleeves, but she noticed a hint of wave extend just past his cuff, as well. "This is... at the Noise frequency?"

"High enough to be inaccessible to civilians, low enough that Reapers won't consider it." Gakupo had a strangely businesslike tone to his voice. "There's supposed to be a considerable strain to lingering here. Conduct your business as quickly as you can."

For the first time since she had taken her station, Gumi felt a meaningful concern. "Hold the elevator for me?" she murmured.

A light ding as they arrived; the doors opened, and the Composer stepped out.

Reaper territory had been named the 'Otherworld' when DIVA's Underground had been founded, but nothing about it was particularly extraordinary - it was even accessible in the RG, although the elevator's buttons were non-functional. Now Gumi understood why this domain was only accessible at Noise frequency; this was _truly_ otherworldly. A twisted landscape that seemed endless; the horizon was an ominous bright colour, and the skies a shadowy dark grey. Scattered here and there were white figures like trees, except that they were far too thin to support themselves at that size - and they seemed to  _writhe_ in the air, despite their being no wind to move them. Other strange shapes were also visible - the most prominent being a massive satellite dish.

A glance back in the direction she had come revealed that the lift box was sitting there, unattached to anything; there was no elevator shaft, no workings to carry it up.

Gumi turned back to the landscape. Nearby was what looked like a computer setup, with large speakers that looked like they could shake 39 with a bass drop. Warily, she started to move towards it, only to be caught off-guard when something surged out of the plain not far away - two massive, segmented towers in black and silver, with orange protrusions in several directions. Something unfolded from them, extending into the void in ways that they ought not have been able to support themselves, and Gumi was distressed when she saw several of what looked like  **bodies** hanging from those arms, lined up like a rack of clothes.

The strain had nothing to do with the frequency. Gakupo's warning was to make sure she didn't go mad in here.

When she turned back towards the computer-and-speaker setup, she saw something crawling towards her - a six-legged, scorpion-esque figure that seemed to be forged almost entirely from dark Noise waves, whose colour she could not discern against the bright surface. Its tail ended in not a stinger, but a three-pronged claw, and its solid, steely head was like an arrow's, with eight red lights arranged symmetrically - though one had gone out. At its side was what looked to be a human skull, with four legs similarly made from dark Noise waves; one eye socket was filled with a crimson light mounted in black.

Hoping that these things weren't about to attack her, Gumi quickly spoke. "I'm here to speak with Calne Ca."

" **Na-ka Gu-mi...** "

The voice was rough, hoarse, and rumbled across the landscape; the syllables were spaced so that each was just as far from the last, not pausing between words. Gumi felt a hand close on her left wing - but it wasn't a human hand, for there were only three digits to curl around the limb, the central of which was disproportionately longer than the other. " **The Com-po-ser's seat has made you pow-er-ful.** "

"Calne Ca." Gumi closed her eyes. "Did you create these?"

" **Ru-bi-di-um** **...** " The skull shifted. " **Mag-ne-si-um...** " The scorpion creature angled its head. " **They as-sist me in this do-main. There is on-ly so much one can do a-lone.** "

Gumi flexed her wings slightly, a silent request for her to release it - and she did. "Nice to see you're as adaptive as ever."

" **Why have you come here?** " Calne Ca stepped back, though Gumi was loathe to take her eyes off the servants. " **T** **he Con-duc-tor would not aid you for mere cu-ri-o-si-ty.** "

"I require a Game Master."

Magnesium's tail lashed forward in the air, and Gumi stepped back as it came to a halt inches from her face. Calne Ca stepped away, her pace thundering despite the lack of substance betneath their feet. " **The po-si-tion of** **Game Mas-ter is a sen-tence to death in DI-VA. No Rea-per had sur-vived the as-sign-ment be-fore I took the stig-ma. And no Rea-per has sur-vived the as-sign-ment since. I was pro-mised so-li-tude for my com-plete e-ra-sure of the Pla-yers. And now you come to my do-main. Not on-ly do you ask me to re-turn to DI-VA, but you mean to have me take the man-tle once a-gain.** "

Gumi swallowed heavily. "The previous Composer never offered to unmake it, did she."

Calne Ca turned to her. " **No Rea-per had e-ver spo-ken with Cy-ber Di-va be-fore you felled her.** "

'Cyber Diva' had been the pretentious moniker of Gumi's predecessor, a way of proclaiming herself DIVA's avatar. "And her Conductor?" Gumi inquired. "He didn't tell you she could have reversed it?"

" **When I could not re-verse it my-self, I re-ques-ted so-li-tude. Cy-ber Song-man did not at-tempt to dis-suade me.** "

Gakupo's predecessor had been assigned the moniker of 'Cyber Songman', presenting himself as equal. "The Composer's power is absolute in DIVA. I can remove you of the burden that earned you the mockery of 'Calne Cantus'."

Calne Ca began to approach again. " **And you ex-pect me to ac-cept the bur-den of Game Mas-ter in re-turn?** "

Gumi bowed her head. "What does the Composer need to do, during the Game? Assuming the current Game Master isn't a proxy."

" **Is-sue a sin-gle mis-sion, on the se-venth day,** " Calne Ca observed. " **And e-rase a-ny who in-tend to take the seat. Ne-ver has more than one made the at-tempt o-ver the course of one Game.** "

"That," Gumi insisted, "is all I need you to do. Issue one mission. Erase one Player. And I will unmake your burden."

Calne Ca paused at that. " **You have ne-ver con-demned a Pla-yer to un-con-di-tion-al e-ra-sure.** **Why would you task me with this?** "

The Composer shook her head. "I have my reasons, and they are mine alone."

There was silence for a long moment - which troubled Gumi when a single thin tendril brushed against her shoulder, unheralded by the footsteps of her owner. Her body went cold as Calne Ca loomed over her, and she stumbled to the side, causing Rubidium to step forward warningly.

" **...Black Rock Shooter.** "

A reverence echoed in Calne Ca's voice as she said the name, not parsed as the rest of her speech but carrying a more melodic flow. Gumi started at that, turning away from the servants to face the once and future Game Master again. "What?"

" **This gen-tle fra-grance. You have spo-ken with an An-gel... and earned her fu-ry.** " There was a threatening smile in Calne Ca's eye. " **I ac-cept your of-fer. I will take the man-tle of Game Mas-ter once a-gain. The Pla-yer you spe-ci-fy will be e-rased.** "

Gumi nodded. "Thank you. There remain four days in the current Game - including today. Your Game begins immediately following."

She offered Magnesium and Rubidium one more glance before making her way back to the elevator. It responded to her approach, opening once she was near and closing the moment she was in - and as soon as it closed, she loosed a high-pitched cry of terror, slumping against the vacant wall of the box.

"Composer?!"

Gakupo's panicked yell drew Gumi's gaze. "Take... take me back up," she instructed. She had done her best to hide her terror at Machine Muzik - the region was supposed to be formatted to take form as Calne Ca willed it to, and she had not expected it to take  _that_ form. Gakupo quickly pressed the button for the Otherworld, and after a few moments of movement the Noise lines on his and Gumi's arms disappeared. She had more or less recovered by the time they elevator stopped, and as she stepped out Gakupo could hear her muttering to herself.

"I am  _never_ doing that again."

**Devil's Way  
Chapter Closed**


	37. The 5th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Eri's family name is never given to us. That has absolutely no relevance to the situation, and isn't something that Neku would particularly care about at the time he learns about her. And when you're talking about your friends, you mention them by given name. You don't bring up their full name unless you need to distinguish from several people with the same given name. Why do I so badly want to know that?

"Three down, two to go..."

Rin scoffed, glancing at her timer. "You know, why would they say we have 'five days' and then knock us out in the middle of each one?" she muttered. "Why not just tell us exactly how much time they're gonna give us and then only go that long?"

Miku gave her a look, drawing out her phone.

"What?"

 _That's kind of at odds with your 'knock us out as soon as we're done a drake' theory_ , Miku accused _, don't you think?_

An embarrassed expression decorated Rin's face. "N-Never mind," she insisted, turning away. Starting in Tengaku Square, their next target was the wyrm in Starmine. "Think they closed up Two Kind Walk?"

* * *

"This is the place..."

After an entire day's unsuccessful attempts to call the Conductor or Composer, Neru had decided to inspect the rooftop Matcha had reported. Honestly, she ought've done that as soon as she received the call; Matcha wouldn't have called the enforcer if she could have gotten through to the higher-ups. As she arrived at Ryuto's old haunt, Neru realized how  **odd** it was to come here and find the young Reaper absent.

She sighed, glancing towards 39. _The Games are running too quick,_ she observed. _Used to be there were survivors every other round who wanted to join the Reapers. Now we haven't even got a Harrier to give the Players a hard time. And Hatsune just keeps going for Game after Game._

With a shake of her head, Neru turned her attention back to the task at hand. As she made her way across the roof, she felt the 'warp' that Matcha had mentioned - but it wasn't quite like a shift. She was still firmly grounded in the UG; and when she made to shift down to the RG, her wings disappeared without trouble. Yet there was still something  **off** around here; she quickly shifted back up, her gaze going around.

"What's going on?" She raised her wings high, opening up a Reaper's scan - Noise sigils floated about, but she couldn't find anything that looked to be abnormal. She grabbed the nearest sigil, causing a yellow wolf Noise to leap out as she was shifted to its frequency; but nor could she find anything there. With a groan, she raised her right hand, and her black-and-red-pistol appeared in her grip as the Noise tried to leap at her.

Seven shots was enough to take the wolf out, and Neru lowered the pistol and let it vanish.  _There **is** something here. _ _Why can't I find it? It's not having any effect on the RG, it's not visible in the UG, and it's not manifesting at Noise frequency._

A worrisome thought rose in the enforcer's mind. The Noise frequency was halfway between the RG and the UG... and affected the RG.

She quickly turned and leapt down from the roof, drawing out her phone. Soon enough, her call was picked up.  _"Matcha."_

"It's Neru. Steer clear of Ryuto's rooftop."

_"What? Why? What did you find?"_

"That's the problem. **I** couldn't find anything."

* * *

"Neru..."

Lily had no idea what Gumi had done to her that she was so invisible. When Matcha had arrived, two days ago, she had felt Lily's presence, but had no idea what it was. Neru's search just now had been far more thorough, searching every frequency the Reapers could access - and neither had she found the captive Game Master.

The sun was about to set when someone else reached the rooftop - and she only knew it when a hand was set against her shoulder.

"How many visitors have you had?"

Gumi's question was a taunt - she knew the answer, she just wanted to hear the Game Master say it. And Lily wasn't going to give her the satisfaction; her scarred arms were still suspended above her head, bound by chains with no form, but her fingers were free enough for her to raise two fingers.

"Two." The Composer stepped around her. "And neither of them found you, or they would have set you free."

"Where am I?" Lily demanded.

"The answer to your question is fascinating," Gumi admitted. "We're not at Noise frequency. But if someone runs into a Noise, and wanted to get to you from there, they wouldn't go up or down. They'd go  _sideways_. This imaginary number plane is at the same vibe, but with a different tune. It's pretty tricky to get here. Some Undergrounds have a specialized region just to use it. And once you get here, it's tricky to get back. Thank Angels for modulator decals."

She ran her hand down Lily's side, causing the captive Game Master to flinch. "Today is Day 5," Gumi mused. "Assuming she survives tomorrow, you have to deal with her." She pulled the revolver from its holster, popping the chamber and unloading the  _Blast of Ninjutsu_ bullet. "You're pretty good with your gun," she praised, sliding the bullet into Lily's pocket. "So, I'm going to give you a little boost."

Her hand was raised before Lily's face - and a stark white bullet appeared between her fingers. "Why don't you read the casing for me."

" _Instant... Player Erasure?_ "

"That's right," Gumi confirmed. "See, I don't issue this as standard for a reason. Some Reapers would jump at the opportunity to shoot a Player, erase them immediately, and then just take their punishment without question. I can't have that." She loaded the bullet into Lily's revolver, closed the chamber, and then tapped the hammer - and a surge of light washed over the weapon. "But sometimes Players need to get erased. Players who won't contribute anything if they return to life."

"And you think Miku won't contribute anything if she returns to life?" Lily snapped.

"Secret Police. Hall of Legend. Honki wrote it. DECORATOR. Hall of Fame. Megurine wrote it. Weekender Girl. Cosplay at every convention from here to the wake of Utau City." Gumi slipped the revolver into Lily's holster. "Sakine wrote it."

Lily blinked. "You think-"

"ODDS&ENDS, Megurine. Electric Angel, Kagamine twins. Unhappy Refrain, Honki. Sweet Devil, Megurine. Two-Sided Lovers, Sakine. Sadistic.Music∞Factory, Kagamine twins. Clover♣Club, Sakine. Clockwork Clown, Honki. 2D Dream Fever, Kagamine twins. Romeo and Cinderella, Megurine. Close and Open, Demons and the Dead. Everyone pitched in, Hatsune provided the  _scat_."

She stepped away. "Giving someone like that a chance to go back? I'd sooner burn DIVA to the ground."

 ** Never **  
**Chapter Closed**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: songwriters listed are meant as Watsonian contributors to Glory Music's fame. Doylist songwriters listed below.  
> -Secret Police: Buriru-P  
> -DECORATOR, Weekender Girl: kz  
> -ODDS&ENDS: ryo  
> -Electric Angel: Yasuo-P  
> -Unhappy Refrain, Two-Sided Lovers: wowaka  
> -Sweet Devil: Hachiouji-P  
> -Sadistic.Music∞Factory: cosMo@Bousou-P  
> -Clover♣Club: Yuuyu-P  
> -Clockwork Clown: 40meterP  
> -2D Dream Fever: PolyphonicBranch4  
> -Romeo and Cinderella: doriko  
> -Open and Close, Demons and the Dead: Hachi
> 
> ...Is it obvious that 93% of my Vocaloid knowledge comes from Project DIVA?


	38. The 6th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You know, with the Solo Remix's gameplay revamps, it wouldn't be that hard to let you have multiple partners at once. I mean, it might be a little game-breaking to let you have all of their equipment bonuses (now I'm imagining how much HP I'd have if I equipped everyone with a Samurai Armour and Neku with the Angel Feather), but letting you use all of your partners wouldn't be that bad.
> 
> ...You know, all things considered, I wonder if you DO get all your partners' equipment bonuses when fighting Draco Cantus.

"Just one left..."

Neru was sitting atop the 39 Building as the Players woke up for Day 6. "Five wyrms," she murmured. "Put five drake Noise at the corners of DIVA, ask the Players to eliminate them in five days... and stop them from properly recovering if they tried to run straight to the next before they pass out." She shook her head. "That's not in a GM's permissions. That's Conductor and Composer territory. The Game Master's a proxy."

She saw Kagamine and Hatsune dashing towards Rouge Square - and her phone went off. Neru drew the device out and found the caller was  _Yowane Haku_ ; she quickly answered and raised the device to her ear. "Haku, what's up?

"...What."

* * *

The forest of cobalt leaves, where Gakupo passed Gumi's judgements onto the Players, was known as the Eternal Feel - located directly above the meeting ground in the Otherworld, and voluntarily accessible only by the Conductor and the Composer. It was by no means endless, but the wide-open room, the density of the trees, and Gakupo's abilities as Conductor often led Players who survived the Game to believe that they were being judged somewhere entirely other than DIVA.

Though Players were transported directly to the clearing smack in the middle of the forest, other arrivals needed to traverse the forest; thus it was only a good while after she had received her invitation that Gumi emerged from between the trees and found Gakupo waiting for her. "You wanted to see me?" she called.

Gakupo stepped forward. "What are you hiding?"

Gumi blinked, a smirk rising on her face. "What's that a-"

"Don't play games with me, Gumi."

The address caught the Composer off-guard. As a Reaper, Gakupo was a year her senior, yet ever since she had appointed him Conductor, he had never spoken with her in familiar terms - not while they were in the UG. In an instant, she realized that she was not here for business, nor for pleasantries - Gakupo was  _furious_ with her.

"Whatever the Higher Plane might judge, they would never instruct you to rush it. You have run these Games far too quickly. Our numbers are dwindling because you have begun each week nearly as soon as there are two Players to form a pact." Gakupo took a single step forward. "Further, you have imprisoned Hatsune. She has proven herself time and time again, yet every Game, you count one Player to be restored to life - and every Game, you choose her partner."

Gumi's hands slowly closed into fists as he continued. "And the memories... Even if the cause is, indeed, bigger than Reapers, you could unmake this anomaly. An Angel who meant to alter anyone's recognition of Hatsune would need to show themselves in order to overcome you, as Composer, if you would undo the shackles on her allies." He shook his head. "And it's not just them. I can feel... I can feel a hole, in my memory, where Hatsune should be."

"Gakupo..."

The Conductor refused to stand down. "In the thirteen years since you became Composer, I have never lied to you. I ask only one answer in honesty. No half-truths, no false rhetoric, no avoiding the question. Just answer me.

"Do you have something personal against Hatsune?"

The Composer closed her eyes.

"...Yes."

The trees shifted in a sudden wind that blew in all directions from Gakupo. He shook his head, reaching into his pocket and drawing out the folding fan. "The Conductor is nothing more than a messenger for a Composer who wishes to remain hidden. You no longer remain hidden, and so, you can complete this Game without your Conductor." He grasped Gumi's arm, raising her hand to press the fan into it. "I will be leaving Diola. And I will not return until Hatsune is restored to life."

"And if she should be erased?" Gumi demanded.

"I think we both know that is never going to happen," Gakupo reprimanded.

Gumi's fists began to shake. "I'm inclined to disagree." Then, before Gakupo could protest; "But very well. This is your choice to make. I won't force you to help me."

Gakupo nodded, stepping past her to depart.

"That being said..." Gumi waited until his footfalls halted before continuing. "Reapers always repay their debts. If you would see to the end of this game, just as an announcer, I... I would really appreciate it. I don't have your air for theatrics."

There was no response before his footfalls resumed.

A long moment passed after Gumi was alone in the Eternal Feel; then her grip tightened on the Conductor's fan, and she threw her head back and screamed.

* * *

A tremor shook DIVA District.

In the RG, the civilians felt it, ceasing what they were doing as vibrations rattled city. In the UG, the Reapers felt it, Support and Harriers alike being caught off-guard. And somewhere between, the Players felt it - and so did the Noise they were fighting. Rin had been mid-leap when the tremor began, narrowly evading the jaws of the drake in Rouge Square. She balanced precariously in an effort to stay on her feet - but when flames gathered in the Noise's maw, she threw herself to the pavement, slamming to her back as the blast flew over her head.

Miku quickly raised her  _Maple_ barrier, stopping the flames on the darkness; then she swept her hand skyward, and a pillar of ice from her  _Azure Snow_ ripped out of the pavement and knocked the drake into the air. Rin quickly hurled one of her blades after it, causing it to flash, and Miku generated an orb of water beneath it with her  _Camellia_. The drake landed on the orb and flashed again, and as Rin tossed her other blade Miku began to bombard it with rounds from her  _Fan Dance_.

Soon enough, the Noise faded out, erased; and the civilians faded back in.

Rin got to her feet. "What the hell was that?"

'I don't know,' Miku admitted.

After a moment, panic struck on Rin's face. "Wait, the wyrms. Did we...?" She glanced at her hand and found the timer gone; a 'yes' was hissed through her teeth as she closed it into a fist and pumped it. "Five-day mission done. I feel  **way** cooler than I should right now."

Miku drew out her phone and tapped at a memo.  _How do you feel about a stop at Galaxias?_

"I thought you'd never ask."

** Chivalry **   
**Chapter Closed**


	39. The 7th Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> If you hated me last week, you'll LOATHE me now.

"Lily... Lily!"

Hearing her voice spoken - in proximity with her - pulled Lily from her self-induced slumber. Yowane Haku stood there before her... and her gaze was smack on the Game Master. "Haku?" she murmured. "What are you...?"

"Oh, thank god."

The relief on Haku's voice caught her off-guard. "You can see me?"

"It wasn't easy." Haku reached into her pocket as she set a hand on Lily's shoulder.

The familiar shifting of frequencies rippled around them, and whatever was binding Lily's hands above her head faltered, causing her arms to fall limply at her sides. "What... how did you do that?"

The ex-Reaper drew her hand out of her pocket, revealing it to be closed around a device. "This is Gumi's cell phone."

"What."

"She dropped it in the elevator."

"Whaaaaaat."

Haku shrugged. "If you saw what's at the bottom of that thing, you wouldn't be too attentive, either."

Lily sighed. "I can't thank you enough for this. Where's my bike?"

"Silent Beat Alleyway," Haku replied. "You'd better get going."

With a nod, Lily leapt down; Haku set the phone on the rooftop where she had been before following her down.

* * *

 _Mission: The Game Master now hungers for suffering. Erase her._  
_You have 600 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure._  
_~The Reapers_

It was early in the morning on Day 7; the skies were still dark when the mission arrived. Rin and Miku had figured out that a 'hunger for suffering' meant they'd find the Game Master on Pain Crave Bridge. However, the bridge was  _long_ , and with little option but to walk the entire way down until they found the GM, it was going to take a while.

To the Players' dismay, however, they were eventually at the wall that crossed the bridge - and no Reaper in sight. "Okay, what the hell?" Rin muttered. "Where's the GM?"

'I don't know', Miku admitted.

The scream of a motor drew their attention; a single headlight was approaching them at downright unsafe speeds. As the two Players retreated to the edges of the bridge, Miku realized that it was a motorcycle - and further, that she recognized its rider. Avex Lily was speeding straight towards the wall out of DIVA District... and her wings were gone, which meant she was in the RG.

Off the edge of the bridge, Naka Gumi also saw Lily's departure. Finding her phone where the captive Game Master had been had clued the Composer in to what she meant to do, and sure enough, the Players were in position as she approached the wall. She had anticipated this, however, and Lily - in her haste to escape Diola - hadn't considered to check her bike properly.

Which meant she failed to notice the modulator decal on the underside of the engine.

A tap on her cell phone activated the decal, forcibly keeping Lily and her bike in the RG. Then another deactivated the decal - and to Reapers and Players, leaving the domain of a modulator decal automatically upshifted them back to the UG. Lily noticed the added drag of her wings' appearance too late; there was nothing she could do to stop herself and her bike from slamming into the wall at the very edge of DIVA. The vehicle crumpled violently against the barrier; Lily collided with it and was thrown back with unkind force. Rin's scream was parallel to Miku's silence as Lily was thrown onto the pavement, her wings denting as she landed spine-first and lay there, limp.

Her hands were open... revealing the timer on her left palm.

Rin started, taking a defensive stance. "That timer...! You're the Game Master!?"

Weakly, Lily struggled to rise. "...By... proxy," she confirmed.

"Proxy?" Rin glanced at Miku, who shook her head, then turned back to Lily. "What does that mean, by proxy?"

"It means... I'm not the one... issuing missions," Lily groaned. "The Composer is." Miku offered a hand, and Lily accepted it, getting to her feet. "I... I give up. I surrender."

Rin glanced at her palm. The timer was still ticking. "That's not enough," she murmured. "The mission said _erase_."

Lily closed her eyes. "Of course it did," she murmured. "Rin... You go back. You and Len. Go back to the RG, I know you'll get it. And Miku..." She turned to the twin-tailed girl, sorrow in her gaze. "I'm sorry."

'For what?'

"For not being able to stop this."

Before either of the Players could comprehend what she was saying, she turned to the side of the bridge and leapt - at heights that only Reapers could. Reapers could climb a story with their jumps, so clearing the bridge barrier was no challenge - and as she neared the wall that lined the bridge, she let her wings fade. The wall could not stop her in the RG. Miku dashed to the barrier, helpless to do anything but watch as Lily plummeted to the river below.

The moment she hit the waters, the impact erased her.

**Tokyo Teddy Bear  
Chapter Closed**


	40. The Next Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Fun experiment for someone with a large number of friends. Take a smaller group, plan a conversation about the Reaper's Game. Then plan a meeting with the rest of the gang, and the smaller group arrives first. Talk about the Reaper's Game while the rest of your friends are arriving, and if they mention The World Ends With You, just ask 'What is that?'

"Closed. Dammit."

Rin and Len had decided to stop by Matcha and Azuki's pin shop on their first day back from the UG, only to find the shop wasn't open. "Support Reapers aren't allowed to shift to the RG when the Game's on," Len recalled. "First day after two straight Games? Might be they're taking the day off."

"Fair enough," Rin muttered. Turning to him; "What did you do with that  _Love-Hate_ you tried to get Miku to use?"

Len shook his head. "I think she just threw it in the trash can on top of 39."

A curious smirk rose on Rin's face. "You think we might be able to pick it up in the RG?"

That smirk mirrored itself on Len's. "Maybe. Let's-"

"Rin? Len!"

The voice drew their attention; a familiar blue-haired figure was coming down the alley from Ashes Square. "Kaito!" Len called. "What brings you here?"

"Probably the same thing that brought me to the restaurant when you missed your reservations," Kaito replied. "Glad to see you both survived."

"Yeah, about that," Rin murmured. "Where are the others?"

"We're meeting at the Flower Fight Memorial," Kaito explained. "We knew your Game would end today, we were hoping to catch you there."

"Good," Rin mused. "We need to talk."

* * *

Luka and Meiko were indeed at the memorial when Rin, Len, and Kaito arrived. "How'd the Games go?" Meiko asked as they arrived.

"Well, the Game Master in  **my** week was an idle layabout who didn't give us a mission until Day 6," Len admitted.

"And the Game Master in  **my** week was a proxy," Rin added. Then, at the confused expressions of the surrounding Reapers; "The Composer was the one issuing missions."

"Miku," Luka murmured. "They didn't let her back, did they?"

"I..." Rin's gaze fell. "I don't know."

They caught everyone off-guard. "What?"

"After Rin's Game, we... we didn't go back to that forest," Len explained. "We just woke up in the RG."

"That doesn't make sense," Meiko murmured. "The Conductor has to give back everyone's entry fees, right? Why wouldn't he take you there?"

"I don't know," Len echoed. "But everything's back to normal. We're both here, and we remember each other - and you guys remember us, right?"

Luka set a hand on her chin. "Miku... didn't show up for the last few, did she?"

"N-No," Len confirmed. "The Conductor said she had decided to keep playing the Game, so he didn't need to waste time bringing her there."

"I'm starting to wonder if that's got any truth to it," Luka mused. "Five Games. Me, Kaito, Meiko, and you two - we were all partnered with her, and they brought us back. What if the Conductor's got something against Miku?"

"Or... the Composer," Rin muttered.

Meiko turned. "What?"

"Lily said she was the Composer's proxy," Rin recalled. "And she said something to Miku. Something about... not being able to stop this. What if it's the Composer who hates her?"

"That can't be," Luka insisted. "We've never met the Composer."

"I don't think you have to meet someone to hate them," Rin argued. "Not if you know what they've done."

A quiet descended on the memorial.

"You think... it's us?" Kaito asked. "Glory Music?"

"No, that makes sense," Luka agreed. "All of us, dead in such quick succession? And the Composer always choosing one of us over Miku? Not just one of us," she added, turning to Meiko, "but whoever was her partner? That can't just be a coincidence."

"Galaco mentioned some kind of judgement," Len muttered. "It might be judging Miku?"

"And what if it is?" asked a voice from behind them. "Are you gonna stop it?"

Everyone turned, surprised to see the rainbow-haired figure standing there. "Galaco!" Kaito greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm closed for the week," Galaco insisted.

"Closed?" Meiko asked. "What for?"

"Gumi's mad if she thinks I'm gonna take part in this bullshit Game," Galaco said firmly.

Luka started at that. "Game? There's already another Game going on?"

"Yeah," Galaco confirmed. "Three Games in a row is more than just rare, it's abnormal. And this one is beyond unfair."

"Unfair?" Rin asked. "What do you mean?"

Galaco sighed. "Well, I'm the only Harrier left in DIVA." Then, when the lot of them glared at her; "Nominally, anyways. Me being inductor usually exempts me from usual Harrier duties. Let me just say that, with me in the RG, the Game won't have any Harriers on duty.

"Not while there's still a Player to harry."

**Last Stage  
Chapter Closed**


	41. 7 Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> It's not a Reaper's Game if you don't get sudden whammies at the end.

When Miku opened her eyes, she was not in the cobalt wood. In fact, she started to wonder if the Game had consented to let her play again, for she stood in a scorched field, with flames scattered about. After a moment, she realized that those flames were wrapped around tree trunks, and singed leaves were scattered around the earth.

Concerned, she called out, "Hello?" Then, realizing she had her voice, she raised a hand to her mouth, surprised.

"Hello, Hatsune."

Miku turned round. A figure stood there, standing almost eye level with herself - a young woman with green hair that rested at shoulder length. She was dressed in hues of yellow and orange; a short-sleeved, tailcoat-esque top that bared her midriff, very short shorts, and a pair of white-trimmed stockings. Her footwear was some kind of cross between sandals and platform shoes, and a pair of silver goggles with dark lenses rested atop her head.

"Who are you?" Miku demanded. "Where's the Conductor?"

"I am Naka Gumi," the woman replied. "Gakupo... is unavailable for the aftermath of this Game. But I've made every effort to ensure the victors of the Reaper's Game will never suffer - and they won't in his absence."

"Rin and Len-!"

"Don't worry," Naka insisted. "They're fine. Len earned his return to life, and Rin earned hers. They're in the Realground."

Miku glanced down at the charred leaves beneath her feet. "...Then why am I here?"

Naka's smile fell.

"I told Kamui," Miku insisted. "I'll play the Game, again and again. I'm not going to give myself up to erasure, and I'm  _definitely_ not joining the Reapers! I won't give up until I can see my friends ag-"

Then, suddenly, there was a hand on her neck; Naka forced Miku against what felt a wall, despite there having been no visible surface in the field of flames.

" _Friends,_ " she growled. "I wonder, how do you and your clique define friendship?"

Miku was caught off-guard by that.

"You see," Naka continued, "there are some idiots who think that 'friend' is synonymous with 'ally'. That if you enemy has an enemy, then that guy's your friend. And there are some people who say that you're not friends until you trust each other. Until you know one another's secrets, and can call each other foul names without any insult behind it." Her fingers tightened around Miku's throat. "If I were to guess... you call friends when you're willing to spend time together, for more than just to get something done. When you're willing to defend each other because someone's got ill intent. That's your bare minimum for friendship."

She pulled her hand away, and Miku fell to the ground, coughing, as Naka stepped away. "You know, the Underground isn't really conducive to friendship. You make a pact to survive with the first person you see, that's it." She turned to Miku again. "But I've notice that you... you don't even need seven days.  _Three_ days, tops, and you'll defend your partner, and they'll defend you. By the end of the week, you've made bonds with every surviving Player, and you'd make plans to spend time together if you could. Every partner you've had, they're your friend."

A hand was raised to her forehead as she sighed. "Guess I couldn't take it all away."

"You-!?"

Naka raised a hand, and the rest of Miku's words were silent; a surge of light ripped through the air, landing in Naka's hand. With a smirk, she opened her hand again, and sound echoed out from the glow in her palm.

_Watashi wa, utau no ga suki..._

"That's a sweet sound," Naka mused, closing her hand again. "But that's all you are. A sweet sound that attracted a group with talent. You'd be nothing without your voice or your friends. **Why** did I let you have your  **friends!?** " 

She shook her head. "I won't make that mistake again."

Miku got to her feet. 'Who are you!?' she demanded soundlessly.

"DIVA is a hellish yard, Hatsune."

Naka swept her hand to the side, and the flames around them burned higher.

"And I am its master."

* * *

When Miku woke again, she was lying before the Flower Fight Memorial. She quickly shot upright, her breath heavy as she realized what had happened.

 _That... Naka Gumi... was the Composer?_ She swore silently.  _Is she the reason I've been trapped here so long? Something about her... she **hates**  me. Why? What have I done to her that- _She shook her head.  _No. If that's how it's going to be, then fine. One more Game. If I have to._

Her phone went off, to confirm she had to.

 _Day I_  
_Destination - 39_  
_Time limit - 01:00:00_  
_Cost of failure - Erasure_

'This is different,' Miku mouthed. All the GMs prior had kept to the same general layout for mission messages; this one seemed to have some degree of creativity. 'Some' being the operative word - a destination of 39 was getting old at this point. The mission timer struck on Miku's hand before she could even put her phone away - despite the format of the message, her timer still started on  **60:00** \- and a search of her pockets revealed one more pin sitting in there. Pale surface,  Beneath a thousand cherry trees... \- another one to compliment Miku's existing options. This one had a butterfly in earthen hues, with diamonds upon the wings and antennae curled into a heart; a glance at the back revealed the pin's name was, predictably,  _Butterfly_.

A familiar croaking as she pinned the new one to her shirt drew Miku's attention; sure enough, there was a frog Noise nearby. Strangely, this one was on its own - a stark white frog, its hind legs bloody red waves and its eyes voids of crimson.

Her phone went off again, and as Miku dashed out to Two Kind Walk, she drew the device out to check the new message.

_Current Player count - 1_

' **What!?** ' Miku couldn't believe what she was seeing.  _It's gotta be a lie... I can't be the only one! I can't make a pact!_ The white frog was hopping towards her; she quickly dashed in the direction of Starmine Square, desperate to survive.  _I could... I can run? No, Day 7 is always a fight with the GM. And if they give me just one mission with a fight..._

"Miku!"

The owner of that voice had saved her more than once already; Miku raised her gaze to find Yowane Haku charging down Two Kind Walk towards her. As they neared one another, the ex-Reaper halted abruptly, and as Miku did the same she draw out a revolver like Lily had carried, raising it towards the white frogs that were pursuing the Player. "Make a pact with  _me_ ," Haku offered. Miku nodded, setting a hand on her shoulder - and as that blue light surged up around them, Haku fired. A crimson bullet flew from the barrel, slamming into the Noise - and the Noise  _vanished_ the moment the shot struck.

Miku's jaw dropped.

Haku lowered her weapon with a relieved sigh, popping the chamber to reveal the spent casing inside. " _Instant Noise Erasure_ bullet," she explained. " _Those_ frogs don't feel psychs. Make it count, only a Reaper can use the same one more than once."

She unloaded the casing and tossed it aside, turning to Miku. "Sorry you're stuck with me."

A smile broke out on Miku's face, and she shook her head.

Haku returned it. "Come on, you've got a mission for 39, right?" she asked. "What's your time?"

 **55:24** and counting; the two of them quickly took off through Starmine Square, not intending to get erased any time soon.

* * *

"This is insulting."

Matcha and Azuki had been instructed to set up walls around 39, and not to let anyone through without a pact. However, it only took them a couple minutes to realize that this Game had been fixed - blatant defiance of the rules of the Reaper's Game as these two knew them.

"Only one Player," Azuki muttered. "And  _the_ killer Game Master. What the hell is Gumi thinking?"

"This isn't just a matter of poor judgement anymore," Matcha muttered. "She wants _Miku_ erased."

Azuki scoffed. "You know what, hell with this. When Miku gets here, I'm letting her through. Pact or no pact."

Something caught Matcha's eye. "I don't think that'll be necessary..."

Miku was coming up Snowdust Street - and at her side was a familiar white-haired figure. Azuki was dumbfounded when she saw Haku approaching the start of the Game like a Player all over again. "Yowane?!"

"Pact requirement for the first mission?" Haku asked as she and Miku approached. "GMs haven't done that in ages."

"Well, they say this GM did," Matcha admitted.

"You know Neru's gonna shoot you for this," Azuki accused.

Yowane shrugged. "There's a possibility, yeah."

Azuki laughed, beating her fist against the wall and causing it to fade out. "Wall clear. I will never talk trash about you again."

The Support Reapers took off, and Haku and Miku stepped into 39. Miku drew out her phone, but Haku stopped her before she could start tapping at the screen. "Take out your Player Pin," she requested.

Confused, Miku did so.

Haku slowly lifted it from her hand. "The Player Pin lets you scan, but it also stops people from scanning you," she explained. "Let me hold on to this, and I can hear you."

_Really?_

"Really."

A smile broke out on Miku's face. 'I can't thank you enough for this.'

"Don't thank me yet," Haku insisted. "Gumi's not gonna let you off that easy."

'Gumi...' Miku shook her head. 'The Composer? What does she want from-'

She cut herself off with a cry of terror; something - some **one** \- had fallen from the roof of the 39 Building. Haku turned round as they plumetted - yet as they passed the second floor, the figure twisted, and with a wicked  _crack_  someone landed before the building. In an instant, Miku realized that this wasn't a civilian's suicide - this was someone in the UG.

And it wasn't someone she knew.

The figure looked disturbingly like Miku - but she wasn't disturbing because of who she looked like. The disturbance was because she didn't  **quite** look like... a person at all - she was frighteningly close, yet imperfect enough to be eerie. The face around her jaw was inhumanly smooth, like skin had been drawn tight, and it was all the more ominous for the normal face above; her left eye was not an _eye_ at all, but a crimson light on a black mount, and the cavity was wider to accommodate it. Her right arm was visibly segmented, like a prosthetic, but looked to be made of natural material; her left was longer than her right, and seemed _skeletal_ , with only three fingers of uneven lengths. Her legs were jet-black, but segmented in the same way as her right arm; her torso seemed to be normal enough, but she wore an unpleasantly short black skirt, and a dark grey vest left open enough to be nearly indecent. Her hair was a very dark shade of blue, and drawn into two uneven tails; on her right side, it was short, and drawn to a tip, while on her left, it was long and flayed wildly.

" **Yo-wa-ne Ha-ku...** "

Her lips barely moved as she spoke, a grating voice parsed strangely. Haku scoffed, shaking her head. "So the myths are true," she growled. "Calne Cantus. Gumi really is desperate if she's making _you_ Game Master again."

" **Five years you have sur-vived with-out your wings,** " the Game Master observed. " **Now you al-ly your-self with a con-demned Pla-yer.** "

"This isn't a one-player Game," Haku reprimanded. "No Underground is permit to begin when there has only been one Player inducted."

" **It is the Com-po-ser's choice what is or is not per-mit.** " The skin around the crimson light remained wide even as her other eye narrowed. " **You will not sur-vive. Your part-ner will suc-cumb to e-ra-sure in time.** "

Haku shook her head. "Miku is _the_ survivor. How many Players have there been with an entire functioning deck?"

" **And what of your own deck?** " The Game Master's demand caused Haku's expression to fall. " **You have no pins with which to fight. With-out the Rea-per's wings, your wea-pon is li-mi-ted. You will be on-ly a bur-den to your part-ner.** "

'No.'

Miku's silent words were heard by her partner and the Game Master alike; both turned towards her, surprised. 'She's not a burden,' Miku proclaimed. 'She's a savior. Even if she can't fight, she's done enough just my making this pact.'

The Game Master's eye widened. " **You would wil-ling-ly fight a-lone, so long as your pact en-a-bles it?** "

'I promised my friends I would see them again,' Miku informed her. 'I  _will_ return to life. One way or another.' She raised a hand threateningly. 'And if you get in my way-!'

"Don't." Haku grabbed her arm. "She can't fight us if we don't hurt her."

" **Black Rock Shooter...** " The Game Master glared between Miku and Haku. " **Where did you go...?** "

Then she leapt skyward, soaring into the air.

Miku lowered her gaze. 'Her wings,' she mused. 'She didn't have wings.'

"I don't think she can manifest them in that state," Haku admitted.

'What?' Miku turned to her. 'What do you mean, that state?'

Haku turned to her. "You saw it, didn't you? She's not completely human anymore." She shook her head. "I thought Calne Ca was some hellish fairy tale."

Miku was concerned at that. 'What do you mean?'

"I don't have all the details myself..."

**Sakura Rain  
Chapter Closed**


	42. 6 Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You can't change the date on a smartphone, which means that Shutdown Pin Points are a LOT more practical on the DS version. Meanwhile, unless you've got a friend with a copy or access to workarounds, it's a lot easier to just run Tin Pin practice than it is to try and find strangers to connect to - which, unless I am misinformed, means that Mingle Pin Points are a lot more practical on the mobile version.

_" **Com-po-ser** **...** "_

_Gumi groaned as Calne Ca arrived atop the 39 Building. "Five years wingless, and she didn't do anything except report rule-breakers," the Composer muttered. "Then suddenly she goes and sabotages a Game that would have been over on Day 1!"_

_" **You pro-mised me-** "_

_"And my promise stills holds," Gumi interrupted, turning to face Calne Ca. "One mission, one erasure. That's all you have to do. You issued your mission. Now, you just need to wait until you have an opening. Erase Hatsune. Or, if you would prefer, erase Yowane and wait thirteen minutes."_

_Calne Ca seethed. " **Your rogue Rea-per has made this task dif-fi-cult,** " she observed._

_"I won't deny that," Gumi admitted. Then, before Calne Ca could depart; "You are still Game Master. I won't make you, but if you would like to issue any further missions, you're welcome to."_

_" **...Per-haps I may,** " Calne Ca admitted. " **What do your terms man-date if the Game Mas-ter should is-sue their own de-feat pri-or to the se-venth day?** "_

_Gumi shrugged. "The Game Maser is free to attack, as long as the Players attack first."_

_Calne Ca said no more, departing._

"Gumi!"

The sudden yell knocked the Composer out of her reverie; she came to a halt in the Otherworld's Await, turning as Matcha and Azuki stepped out. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing," Azuki reprimanded. "What are you thinking, starting the Game with one Player?"

"One Game left in the judgement," Gumi replied. "I want it over with."

"Judgement?" Matcha sounded almost offended. "The Game is supposed to  **be** a judgement - a fair, unbiased judgement of the deceased. You stopped Miku from having a partner, and then told us to keep her out of 39 if she didn't make a pact."

"No,  _Calne Ca_ told you to keep her out of 39 if she didn't have a pact," Gumi corrected. "That's within her permissions."

"And I'm supposed to believe that throwing a Player to the Noise is within  _your_ permissions?" Matcha demanded.

Gumi shook her head. "As Composer, I have absolute dominion over DIVA - and the Underground."

Azuki scoffed. "That's bullshit. Then what's the Higher Plane for, then?"

The Composer threw her hands up. "Hell if I know! But they don't interfere unless Fallen Angels start wreaking havoc. Unless the Producer drop-kicks me in the middle of the street, it's my decision as to how the Game is run."

Matcha shook her head. "Then why did you dig up Calne Cantus?" she demanded. "The only GM who's ever pulled off 100% erasure? You're stacking the deck. Why pull her out of the hole?"

Gumi sighed. "We're running out of Reapers. I'm not about to send Galaco, she chose to run our induction system. And if I make it Neru, I don't have an enforcer to make sure the GM doesn't pull anything. I made Calne Ca an offer in... No."

The Support Reapers nodded. "Yeah, no," Matcha agreed. "We're-"

"No,  **get back**!"

* * *

When Miku woke up, she and Haku were atop the 39 Building. Haku was already on her feet, and as Miku started to rise, she felt the familiar pain from the flow of emotions. Raising a hand to her head caught Haku's attention, and she quickly stepped up. "Morning," she greeted.

'Morning,' Miku murmured soundlessly, getting to her feet. 'Did you-'

"I did," Haku confirmed. "Reapers have made pacts with Players before - not always for benevolent reasons," she added, seeing Miku's expression. "When you make a pact with a Player, you're added to the Player list. And that means pass-outs and game timers."

The two made their way into the elevator; the day's mission arrived while they were on the way to the ground floor.

 _Day II_  
_Destination - Cybernation_  
_Target - Frog & Carcin_  
_Time limit - 02:00:00_  
_Cost of failure - Erasure_

Haku sighed. "...What you said yesterday, that you were willing to fight alone... did you mean it?"

Miku nodded. 'You made a pact with me, and that's letting me fight. That's more than enough.'

"I don't want to leave the work to you," Haku admitted. "Let's detour through Silent Beat, stop by Matcha and Azuki's. I think they still carry the pins I used in my last Game."

'Pin **s** , plural?' Miku asked.

A chuckle broke through Haku's lips. "I'm not in the one percent," she admitted, "but I am in the six."

As they stepped out of the building, Miku turned to her. 'What are carcin?' she asked.

"Crabs," Haku explained. "Formally, they're known as 'carcin Noise'. I hate it when a GM uses Reaper terminology on the Players. This is probably how she got 100% last time."

Miku turned to her at that, surprised. ' _Last_ time? You don't mean...'

Haku sighed. "Yeah. If the rumors are true, Calne Ca is the only Game Master to ever survive the station."

'Kokone mentioned something like that,' Miku recalled. 'There were only two Games that ended with 100% erasure, and one was the Player Hunt before my first week.'

"Then the other would be Calne Ca." Haku swore. "I still don't want to believe half of the stories I've heard about her. Even Ryuto had his humanity, but that one..."

'You called her Cantus,' Miku observed. 'What did you mean by that?'

Haku shook her head. "I'll tell you later. It's gonna be a long story. Right now, we've gotta get to Cybernation."

* * *

To Haku's dismay, Matcha and Azuki's shop was closed when they arrived.

"Lovely," she murmured. Reaching into her pocket; "Well, Azuki's gonna go back on her promise about trash talk after this." Miku was amused as she drew out several bullets, she singled out three of them and loaded them into her revolver. " _Blast of Ninjutsu_ ," she told an amused Miku as she pulled back the hammer. "I think the lack of impact should..."

She aimed her gun at the topmost hinge and pulled the trigger - and Miku was concerned when it completely failed to make any recognizable sound, nor fire any visible bullet, nor leave any mark on the door. Haku pulled the hammer again and aimed at the lower one, firing again; then another shot in between them. When she stepped up to the door and pushed, Miku was surprised to see the hinges had been rent.

"Meant to be a stealth thing," Haku explained, setting the door aside. "No sound, no projectile, and non-directional strike. The only person who knows that it's your shot that connects is you."

A quick scan of the pin selections found what she was looking for. One pin had what looked like a black katana over a cracked white star against blue; the other, to Miku's confusion, had a blank white surface. Haku pinned them both to her shirt as she and Miku made their way to Cybernation Plaza.

Haku sighed. "Here we are," she murmured, reaching into her pocket. "You wanna do the- What the!?"

A trio of black-and-grey Noise sigils had manifested in the air, catching Miku off-guard. Haku still had her Player Pin; with their pact active, she shouldn't have been able to see the Noise! The civilians faded out, and from the sigils leapt frog Noise - these ones were _black_ , with dark grey waves for hind legs and bloody red eyes; one bloated up, spewing bubbles, and Miku swung her hand across herself.

A bolt of lighting seemed to  _cross the plaza_ in the air before her, popping all the bubbles in a flash.

"Not bad!" Haku praised, raising her hand; the same sword that was on her pin now appeared in her grip, the blade, grip, and cross-guard were all jet black, making it look like one solid piece of metal. She charged forward, and Miku quickly knocked the nearest one into the air with her  _Azure Snow_ pin, the pillar providing a foothold for Haku to leap from as she struck at it. The frog flashed from the blow, and the ice vanished as Haku began to fall; Miku quickly started blasting it with rounds from her  _Fan Dance_ , and though it recoiled, flashing, from the first one, it barely seemed to feel the rest of the barrage, hopping forward.

Haku was slashing at another of the frogs with her blade, which was similarly unflinching from the blows; a worrisome though occurred to Miku, and she quickly ignited her _Blossom_ flame beneath that one. It began flashing with every strike between the two of them, fading away in short order, and Miku manifested an orb from her  _Camellia_ in the path of the approaching one. Haku promptly turned her blade on it, and it started flashing as Miku burned at it again. The last one had hopped closer by the time its other faded, now leaping at Miku; she quickly raised her  _Maple_ barrier to stop it from landing on her, and Haku's blows kept it trapped against the wounding guard until it faded out.

"What's going on?" Hake murmured.

'I don't know,' Miku admitted. Then, seeing four more black-and-grey sigils approaching; 'Look out!'

From these ones dropped carcin Noise - similarly black, with almost-hidden red eyes and grey waves for claws. Miku knocked one into the air with a pillar, and Haku advanced on another, striking at it; it barely noticed, scuttling sideways and pincing at Haku's leg. She yelped, stumbling back, and Miku quickly started a barrage again; it flashed from the first one, and then again on and between each of Haku's blows. She charged towards the one Miku had launched, which folded its claws before itself and withdrew its legs; when the blade struck it, it started to spin, lifting into the air and flying towards Haku.

The moment its legs were back out, Miku launched it again; Haku quickly repeated her leaping blow, slashing it in the air as Miku bombarded it with rounds. The flashing strikes eliminated it in short order, and they quickly turned their unified efforts on the remainder; when they were done, Haku leapt back, landing before Miku as they waited for another set.

The civilians faded back in, and Haku's blade disappeared. "What were those things?" she muttered. "It was like... we couldn't fight them unless we crossed them out. And why did  _they_ start the attack? If a Noise is set by a Reaper, it doesn't appear as a sigil. Our pact should protect us."

Miku had the ominous feeling she had heard of this before...

* * *

"Are you alright?"

Gumi was out of breath as she asked the question - and so were Matcha and Azuki. "I think so," Azuki panted. "What the hell were those things? Since when do Noise attack Reapers?"

"I haven't seen Noise like that since before Ryuto joined up," Gumi murmured.

Matcha raised her gaze. "Ryuto? What happened with Ryuto?"

The Composer shook her head. "The GM went maverick. Broke contact. Broke the rules. Turned the UG into a jungle. It was a war for survival - for Players and Reapers alike. Ryuto lost his partner at the last second because of those things. The whole reason he became a Reaper was to make sure it didn't happen again.

"...He didn't want to lose anyone else to Taboo Noise."

The Support Reapers both recoiled at that. "Taboo!?" Matcha cried. "But... How!?"

"I don't know," Gumi admitted. "I've always kept my eyes open, and moreso ever since. Angels  _fall_ for telling Reapers about that. If I saw anyone even  **try** , I'd rip their wings out and erase them myself."

Azuki raised her gaze. "But... you can't see inside if the hole's deep enough."

Gumi turned to her. "Hole?"

Her eyes went wide as she recalled what Azuki had said earlier.

_She wouldn't dare...!_

**Rolling Girl  
** **Chapter Closed**


	43. 5 Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> When my pins need evolving via MPP, I play Tin Pin with a deck of one. So I really hate it when I start running into decks packed with Reaper-class pins. To my pleasant surprise, when I finally get around to playing Another Day, it turns out that's where all the decks packed with Reaper-class pins came from - which means I know the way they all fight, and so I know how to beat them with my proper six-pin deck.

"Flock off!"

To describe Neru as  _pissed off beyond all reason_ would be an understatement. Taboo Noise were not just aggressive in ways that common Noise weren't; they were highly durable against anything on its own, and Neru had no way to pull off a cross combo. She couldn't give her shadow its own form like Una could, she didn't have her Reaper-issue revolver on her, and Reaper-issue bullets were of a significantly smaller caliber than her twin pistols.

A few Taboo frogs had herded her into the concert venue in Silent Beat Alleyway; eventually, she managed to take them out, and to her relief she felt herself shift back to the UG. The building had long been repaired since the wreck at the end of Miku's first Game - the stage lights were back up, the walkways were properly guarded, and there was no sign there had ever been a fight here (although Neru only knew that because there were no broken stage lights or remnant pieces of railing in the mosh pit).

"Calne Ca is gonna get handicapped for this," Neru muttered, shoving her pistols into her vest pockets - whereupon they faded out. "Taboo Noise are a capital offense. No level of selfish ignorance is going to let her- huh!?"

She felt the shift again, and whirled around to find a pair of black wolf Noise leaping towards her. Her pistols whirled into her hands as she leapt aside, firing at the Noise; even if she couldn't hurt them much, her guns still had enough impact in each shot to stun them until they finally faded out. That didn't solve the problem of where the hell they had _come_ from; Neru quickly made her way backstage and turned on all the lights in the venue before stepping back out onto the stage.

And finding what looked like graffiti patterns scrawled on the floor of the stage.

* * *

To Miku's concern, the start of Day 3 found her and Haku back on top of 39. The familiar pain struck as she started to rise; Haku, already on her feet, quickly helped Miku to her feet, and they made their way to the elevator.

'I think I know what those Noise were yesterday,' Miku admitted as they stepped out into the plaza.

Haku turned to her. "You do?"

'Una mentioned something that happened before Ryuto became a Reaper. The way she talked about it, it was exactly what happened to us yesterday. She said they were Taboo Noise.'

"Taboo!?" Haku echoed worriedly.

'The GM who made them broke the rules,' Miku explained. 'So, if that's what those things are...'

"Then Calne Ca's gone rogue," Haku realized. "Or... No, Gumi wouldn't condone this. They'd kick her out of the Composer's seat for it."

Miku turned to her. 'They? They, who?'

Haku took a deep breath, like she wasn't sure she should be speaking about this.

"Angels. Residents of a plane at higher frequency than the Underground. I don't even pretend to know what happens at that vibe, but they make the Composer's mandate look like mother goose. The only one who ever really gets involved is the Producer - an Angel who watches the domain of the Underground, reports back to the Higher Plane, and make sure the Composer deserves the throne."

'You sound like you know a lot about that,' Miku accused with a smirk.

"DIVA has had some bad experiences with Angels in the past," Haku explained. "I don't think any of the Reapers still alive were there when it happened, but the reports are in an unlocked cabinet in the Pad for anyone with the curiosity, so even Support knows about the events." She shook her head. "The details on the Higher Plane, or even the Producer, are another story. There are a lot of weird rumors in the UG about Black Rock Shooter."

Miku's smile fell. 'Black Rock...?"

"Yeah, Calne Ca mentioned her, didn't she?" Haku glanced up the 39 Building like she half expected the GM to drop off the roof again. "Black Rock Shooter is the Producer of DIVA - and none of the Reapers are quite sure what's true about her. There's a rumor that the Game keeps running because she's a Fallen Angel skulking around like a nightmare on Aqua Street. There's another one that she was a Player in DIVA's first game, and saved an Angel while the UG was still new." She shook her head. "And then there are people who think that she's not  _one_ Angel - she's a group of Angels that take the position in turns, and just use the same alias."

'What about you?' Miku inquired.

Haku shook her head. "I try not think about the Higher Plane too much. Kind of a morbid thought.'

'How-'

Miku fell quiet when their phones rang; their mission had arrived.

 _Day III_  
_Destination - Ashes_  
_Target - Wolf, Corehog, Mink_  
_Time limit - 02:00:00_  
_Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Knew she wasn't gonna keep it small," Haku muttered. "Think-" She paused as the timer appeared with a jolt of pain. "Think they'll be more Taboo Noise?"

'Most likely.'

* * *

To great displeasure, Taboo frog and carcin Noise were  _everywhere_ \- as scattered as the regular Noise from before, but no less aggressive than they had been yesterday. It took Miku and Haku a whole hour to just get to Ashes Square, where they were surprised to find Akita Neru with her pistols drawn.

"Haku! Miku! Lend a hand?"

Miku quickly charged forward, seeing black-and-grey Noise sigils appear; as the civilians faded out, a pack of four black wolves with grey waves for forelegs and tails leapt from the sigils, and Neru started firing. Haku's black blade appeared in her grip, and Miku swung her arm to clothesline the rushing wolves with lightning from her  _Butterfly_. Neru showed visible relief when the wolf she was blasting flashed from the cross of bolt and bullet, and she quickly started alternating shots down the line; Haku slashed at the wolf on one end, and when it faded moved on to the next - only for the rest to fade out in short order.

"Wolf," Haku cited, stepping back.

More sigils appeared behind Neru, causing her to leap back and land at Miku's side. From these ones dropped three black porcupine Noise with grey-wave quills; Miku quickly raised her hand, bombarding them with rounds from her  _Fan Dance_ as Neru resumed her shots and Haku started swinging. They started with a focused assault on the lead creature; once it was done, Miku generated a sphere of water with her  _Camellia_ on the side of one, causing it to ricochet into the other. Neru switched to a wider stance, keeping both fingers tight on the triggers, and Haku started alternating blows as Miku kept bouncing orbs between them; soon enough, they had faded.

"Corehog," Haku called.

Another set of sigils appeared behind her, and she leapt back, landing on Miku's other side. From these emerged black snakelike Noise with grey waves forming wing-like tendrils. They were close enough that Miku was able to light her _Blossom_ fire between them at singe them both; Neru started firing again, and Haku elected not to get in the way as the Noise writhed, eventually fading out.

"Mink," she said when they'd disappeared.

Miku checked her palm and found it bare. 'Mission clear.'

Neru let her guns vanish. "I owe you one," she admitted.

"Worth it to see you in action again," Haku insisted. 

'Were you two...?' Miku didn't finish.

"Yeah," Neru confirmed. "We were partners back when I was a Player." Eyeing Haku's sword; "You haven't let go at all."

"Said the pot to the kettle," Haku argued.

"The pot is exposed to the flames all day," Neru countered. "The kettle just sits on hot coals. When have you had the chance to train with that thing?"

Haku let her black blade vanish. "It's swordplay," she defended. "I just needed to make sure it was slashes and not thrusts."

' _Anyways_ ,' Miku interrupted, turning to Neru, 'what are you doing here?'

Neru sighed. "The Taboo Noise. I think I found the source - don't go anywhere near Silent Beat."

'We won't.'

"Hold on," Haku interrupted before Neru could depart. "You can't take out Taboo Noise without a cross combo, can you?"

"No, I can't," Neru admitted.

Haku pulled off her holstered revolver and pulled the bullets out of her pocket. "Here," she insisted. "Take these. You'll get more use out of them than I can."

Warily, Neru accepted them, hooking the holster on her belt and drawing out the revolver uncertainly. "Feels like I'm gonna break this damn thing," she muttered, popping the chamber. "But it'll take out the Taboo faster, I guess."

She loaded the  _Self-Cross Combo_ into the barrel and reholstered it before taking off.

* * *

An unsuccessful day of trying to call Gumi was finally rewarded when the Composer picked up as the sun was going down. _"Neru?"_

"Composer," Neru sighed. "Finally. Where have you been?"

 _"I feel like I've been at Noise frequency almost non-stop since this morning,"_ Gumi explain.  _"Frickin' Taboo Noise. No wonder your calls haven't come through."_

Neru shrugged. "Point," she muttered. "Look, I found the refinery sigil they're coming from. It's on the concert stage in Silent Beat."

Gumi sighed.  _"What's the catch?"_

"It's grounded in the RG," Neru replied. "I don't think you can neutralize it from the UG."

 _"She can't have encoded it from the RG,"_ Gumi insisted,  _"Noise can't manifest at that frequency. She must have drawn it there and..."_

The Composer trailing off caused Neru to raise an eyebrow. "And...?"

 _"You said it was in Silent Beat,"_ Gumi accused.

"It is," Neru insisted. "And I know it's active, I saw the Noise come out of it."

 _"Then what's this one in the Garden of the White Knight?"_ Gumi demanded.

" **What!?** "

 _"This one's active too,"_ Gumi confirmed. _"Shit, you're right,_ _I can't neutralize it from the UG. And I can't downshift while the Game's on or my rules are void. Calne Ca's gonna rend DIVA if I leave. She's going way too far."_

Neru swore. "What do Taboo Noise do to the RG?"

 _"No different than chump Noise,"_ Gumi replied.  _"Just some lingering background negativity. But Reapers can still scan in the RG, you're gonna see them if they get into combat range and that is **beyond** disorienting when they don't jump out at you."_

"I can handle it," Neru insisted. "I'm gonna see if I can get rid of the RG grounding on the refinery sigils. Once that's done, you should be able to eradicate them from here."

Gumi sighed into the line.  _"I owe you big time."_

"Handicap Calne Ca on Day 7 and we'll call it even."

**Sekiranun Grafitti  
Chapter Closed**


	44. 4 Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> If I could find a way to justify Neru with a pair of heel guns, you can be damn well sure I'd include a run-in with a pack of non-Taboo Noise just so she'd have an excuse to go full Bayo.

"Too long with two at time."

The Otherworld hosted rooms of residence for each Reaper to use - or not use - at their discretion. Neru had learned the hard way that she could  _not_ handle a single Reaper-issue revolver after so long with her great pistols; the size difference was manageable, but holding a lone weapon was too foreign to her at this point. Trying to pair it with  _one_ of her pistols only left her imbalanced and inaccurate; so here she was, digging out her own revolver with intent to use it alongside Haku's.

She found it soon enough, loading it with a _Self-Cross Combo_ bullet and hooking the holster on her belt opposite the one already there. "There we go," she murmured, starting back out to the elevator. "That'll do, I think."

 _Now how the hell am I going to take out those refinery sigils?_  She had offered to Gumi that she would eliminate their RG grounding, and she intended to, but there still remained the question of **how** she was going to go about that. Neru strongly suspected that Calne Ca hadn't settled for two sigils; she was going to need some help in order to wipe them all out. But six near-consecutive games had culled their numbers. Kokone would know how to deal with this. Ryuto and Una would have cut the GM's head off for it. Cul probably would've seen the sigils before they were finished. Lily would've found a way to undermine things. Even if Galaco or Gakupo knew something, both of them had refused to help in this Game - if Gumi couldn't leave the UG, Neru was on her own.

As she stepped into the elevator, a thought occured to her.

_Surviving Players aren't supposed to get involved after the Game... but desperate times._

* * *

'This is getting repetitive...'

Miku's comment as she woke up on 39's rooftop plaza again earned her a chuckle from Haku. "What, six straight Games with the same first mission isn't repetitive?"

'At least they did something different in between,' Miku argued, setting a hand on her head.

"I'm thinking this is just more reliable than starting us at our last destination," Haku admitted.

They made their way to the elevator. 'So,' Miku inquired, 'you never did tell me what the story was with the GM.'

Haku sighed. "Well, I don't have the  _whole_ story, for sure," she admitted. "Just what I've heard from Kokone. But it's not pretty."

Miku gave her a look. 'I figured that out when she was missing an arm and both legs.'

The ex-Reaper waited until they were out of the building before she spoke.

"When she was a Player... her fee was all memory of her existence. Nobody in DIVA even knows who she is. And during the Game, she made a pact with an illegal Player - someone who had entered the UG while they were still alive. Normally, that results in your  **immediate** erasure after the Game - regardless of how you rank. But Reapers always repay their debts. She'd saved some Reapers from the wrath of a Fallen Angel - including the Conductor himself. So they gave her a trial of sorts. Serve us as a Reaper, unknown to anyone in the UG. If you have a certain score after this many Games, we'll let you take the choice as normal. Mess up, and we take your entry fee for good."

'You said nobody  _knows_ who she is,' Miku observed. 'She didn't-'

"She didn't succeed. Her entry fee is non-refundable. But that was the only penalty; she was given the usual choice. And after being forced to hide as she served them, she was eager to be a Reaper properly. She cast aside her old name, and gave herself a new one - Calne Ca. She climbed the ranks, and eventually she was made Game Master. She started the Game with fifty Players. On Day 7, there were only four left. But three prosthetics don't serve you very well in combat. She didn't just brand herself with Noise frequency, she actually made herself part Noise. And when a Reaper turns themselves into a Noise, we call that 'Cantus transformation'."

'Calne Cantus,' Miku recalled.

"Only going part of the way wasn't something she could undo. So when the Conductor offered to reward her for being the first to achieve 100% erasure, she asked for solitude. No,  _solitude_ sounds too merciful. More like... solitary confinement. They created an area beneath the Otherworld that can only be reached with the Conductor's permission, and she's been there since before Gumi became Composer." Haku sighed. "I guess Gumi must've offered to make her normal again in exchange for another round as Game Master."

Miku shook her head. 'That wasn't normal,' she insisted. 'It was more like... a cover. She's hiding the Noise parts of her as best she can.'

Haku set a hand on her chin. "Maybe it's an 'after you win', thing. Payment once the services are complete."

'Naka Gumi...' Miku shook her head. 'Why does she want me erased so badly?'

"I wish I could tell you."

Their phones went off; Calne Ca's next mission had arrived.

 _Day IV_  
_Destination - Rouge_  
_Target - Grizzly & Boomer_  
_Time limit - 02:00:00_  
_Cost of failure - Erasure_

'Boomer?'

"Kangaroo."

* * *

The Taboo Noise floating about DIVA District were getting stronger; it seemed that every time they took out the target one day, they were scattered throughout the whole UG for the next. Taboo wolves, corehogs, and minks joined the frogs and carcin in standing between the Players and Rouge Square; sure enough, it took them an hour and change just to get to the destination.

"She keeps making this harder," Haku observed, glancing at her timer -  **49:23**. "We can't keep fighting the small fry. Tomorrow we run straight to the destination when they show up."

'That sounds like a plan,' Miku agreed.

As they stepped forward, grey Noise sigils manifested before them; Haku quickly invoked her blade as they were shifted to Noise frequency. A pair of heavy black bears dropped from them, standing bipedal with grey waves for arms and glaring with crimson eyes.

Miku quickly raised a pillar below one Noise with her  _Azure Snow_ , and once it was airborne, Haku charged forward. That promptly proved a bad idea when the other one lashed its arm at the pillar,  _shattering_ it - the shards were launched forward, and the ex-Reaper leapt skyward in an effort to avoid them. She didn't quite succeed, a few shards cutting at her legs; Miku raised her  _Maple_ barrier to stop them from harming her before hitting both grizzlies with a bolt from her  _Butterfly_ ; Haku slashed at the earthbound one, and quickly found her onslaught joined by a  _Blossom_ flame. 

The Noise had barely faded when the other grizzly slashed at her; Haku couldn't defend herself before she was thrown clear across square. Miku quickly struck the Noise with another pillar to keep it busy as she approached Haku's side, but the ex-Reaper had hit the ground rolling, and was already on her feet, rushing the Noise again. Miku quickly formed an orb of water with her  _Camellia_ under the grizzly before it landed; when Haku started swinging, she began to bombard it with rounds from her _Fan Dance_.

No sooner had the Noise faded out than more sigils appeared, from which leapt three black kangaroos with grey waves for legs. Miku quickly manifested some well-positioned orbs to bounce between the three of them as they reared back, balancing on their tails; then she and Haku leapt aside, and the boomers shot forward, flying like rockets. Once they had come to a stop, Miku bounced a few more orbs between them as Haku approached, then lit her flame on the one her partner started slashing, slowly stepping forward as it flashed from the blows.

The other two leapt skyward, as the one faded out, and Miku faded her flame and charged forward; Haku leapt back as they landed abruptly, and then leapt skyward again. Miku saw them falling towards her and raised her barrier. The collision knocked the Noise roughly to the ground, and Miku started bombarding them as Haku resumed her slashes, striking them alternately until they both faded from the plaza.

Haku fell quiet. "...I think we're done."

The civilians faded back in to confirm that they were indeed. Miku moved abruptly; Haku didn't have the chance to stop her before she grabbed one of the pins on the ex-Reaper's shirt, pulling it away. Haku stumbled back, taking a defensive stance, but Miku only held the pin she had taken between two fingers.

'Nothing.'

"What are you...?"

Miku turned the pin so the blank white surface was facing her partner. 'There's no psych on this one,' she reprimanded.

Haku was surprised by that. "You can tell?"

'When Kaito was my partner, we had some trouble trying to figure out how his pin worked,' Miku explained. 'He let me hold it, and I could feel the psych in it. But this one doesn't have a psych.' She gave her partner a smart look. 'You shouldn't be wasting your time.'

"Wait, what?"

Miku shook her head. 'Matcha and Azuki explained it. Blank pins that format themselves to the Player. You were trying to see if you  _could_ get a new psych, weren't you?'

"I..." Haku let her gaze fall. "Well..."

With a sigh, Miku slipped the blank pin into her pocket. 'Be a little more honest with your next partner, maybe,' she reprimanded. 'I was worried you were just holding out, sticking to that blade.'

Haku sighed. "I'll... keep that in mind."

* * *

Gumi found the Game Master in Fire Child Sports Park; Calne Ca was standing at the side of a half-pipe in the skater zone. The Composer recognized the patterns of a Taboo Noise refinery sigil; yet Calne Ca was in the UG, tracing her skeletal arm through the air and leaving Noise-like waves trailing one finger, which told her that this sigil was still inactive. Gumi quickly leapt forward, landing within the rise in the center of the area and yelling; "Calne Ca!"

Her arm continued moving, even as the Game Master turned to face her. " **Com-po-ser...** "

"What is the meaning of this?" Gumi demanded.

" **You in-struc-ted me to e-rase Hat-su-ne Mi-ku,** " Calne Ca replied.

"I made you Game Master. I asked you to erase one Player! That does  _not_ permit you to create Taboo Noise!" She leapt down. "You can't possibly-"

Calne Ca shook her head. " **The Com-po-ser who would wil-ling-ly o-ver-look the trans-gres-sions of past Game Mas-ters has no right to pu-nish mine.** "

Gumi started. "What?"

" **You per-mit-ted O-to-ma-chi U-na to i-so-late** **Pla-yers from their tar-gets,** " Calne Ca accused. " **You of-fered to let Re-vo Cul set a trap for the Pla-yers.** **You is-sued A-vex Li-ly the po-wer of in-stant Pla-yer e-ra-sure.** " She turned her gaze on the Composer. " **All vi-o-la-tions to your own terms of the Un-der-ground.** "

"The rules of the Underground are to be changed at the Composer's discretion," Gumi defended.

" **But you have not is-sued these chan-ges,** " Calne Ca reprimanded.

"You can...?" Gumi shook her head. "If I were to allow you to continue creating Taboo Noise, the Producer would blow a hole in my head! The Angel who taught you to do this will have fallen!"

" **There was no An-gel to in-struct me.** "

That proclamation caught Gumi off guard. "What-?!"

Calne Ca narrowed her eye. " **I-so-la-ted from the Un-der-ground and the High-er Plane. No com-pa-ny that I did not cre-ate. Im-pri-soned at the fre-quen-cy of Noise. I have been in Ma-chine Mu-zik since be-fore you took the Com-po-ser's seat. Dec-ades to de-ci-pher what-ev-er I de-si-re.** "

"What!?" Gumi stumbled back. "You created Taboo Noise refinery sigils... from scratch!?" Her gaze fell. "Those creatures-!"

" **Mag-ne-si-um and Ru-bi-di-um,** " Calne Ca confirmed. " **Con-structs from Ta-boo es-sence.** " She shook her head. " **I will e-rase Hat-su-ne as pro-mised.** **And if you do not up-hold your pro-mise, I will e-rase you, and take the Com-po-ser's seat for my own!** "

Gumi growled. "You're insane if you think I'm going to let you-!"

Calne Ca pressed her skeletal hand to the refinery sigil, and the Noise emblem in the center turned from pale blue to shadowy grey. She leapt skyward, arcing through the air as a Noise emerged - a rhino with a horn the size of a zweihänder - and Gumi stumbled back as it tried to gore her. A well aimed surge of Composer's force erased the Noise in short order; she turned to find the Game Master perched atop the rise, and Gumi quickly aimed a hand at her and snapped her fingers.

Silence.

"What-!?"

A victorious laugh sounded terrifying in Calne Ca's distorted voice. " **You strike your vic-tims with pain,** " she observed. " **Pla-yer... Rea-per... e-ven an Angel, should you come to face one. Pain a-lone can kill or e-rase, if it should hurt e-nough.** " She raised her skeletal arm at her side. " **I lost the mo-bi-li-ty of my bo-dy in the Re-al-ground... I un-der-took the change of Can-tus... My limbs are Noise. I must con-strict my own bo-dy to e-ven ex-ist in the Un-der-ground.** "

She closed those bone fingers into a fist.

" **It hurts.** "

She raised her other hand towards the Composer.

" **It hurts.** "

Movement drew Gumi's attention to the refinery sigil.

" **It hurts!** "

Another rhino Noise emerged, slashing at Gumi's arm before she had the chance to move.

" **It hurts!** "

The Composer raised her hand, striking it with enough force to erase it at once.

" _ **It hurts!**_ "

When Gumi turned back around, Calne Ca was already gone.

**Bacterial Contamination  
Chapter Closed**


	45. 3 Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> To my knowledge, Noise combat patterns don't change with difficulty; just how much damage they deal, and how much damage you take. With that being taken into account, I'm PRETTY sure I can fight Panthera Cantus without getting hit. Yoshimitsu + Eden + Joshua. I only really did it because Tin Pin Artist is the ONLY Lightning Bolt pin you can get without going through Hanekoma and it irks me to have just one unbranded pin when I'm trying for a pseudo-Darklit Planets deck

"Up here?"

The surviving members of Glory Music had gathered atop the 39 Building; dawn was rising over DIVA District. At Kaito's question, Len nodded. "Yeah. Haku said all the stray emotions in Diola gather up here, and Miku was reacting to it."

Meiko shook her head. "That doesn't make sense," she argued. "Miku always spends time up here. If she were supposed to be sensitive to it, she'd have noticed it before, wouldn't she?"

Rin shrugged. "Maybe it's because of the UG," she argued. "I mean, with how much more you can notice from the UG than the RG, I wouldn't be surprised."

"The note."

Luka's comment drew everyone's attention; she had her phone in her hand, and had a news site open. "What note?" Meiko asked.

"Miku's note," Luka insisted. "From the initial report.  _Sanitation crew for the 39 Building discovered a suicide note from Hatsune Miku, age 19, in the building's rooftop court_." She turned to her friends. "What if this is where she died?"

"Now that you mention it..." Kaito set a hand on his chin. "She said she couldn't remember how she'd died. We were talking about the residue that lingers in the UG, and she couldn't think of anything."

"They would have noticed her body up here, though," Rin argued, "wouldn't they?"

Meiko turned to Luka. "They never found yours," she admitted. "All the witnesses saw you jump, but they never found your body in the river. You think maybe something happens to them when we get into the Game?"

"Mostly just to stop freaks."

Len screamed, reeling away as everyone turned towards the voice. "Neru!" Luka exclaimed.

"Mother-!"

Rin grabbed Len from behind, closing her hand around his mouth. "What do you mean, stop freaks?" she asked.

"Ages ago, Utau City had a  _morbid_  serial killer who liked to do things with his victims' bodies and leave them where the police could find them," Neru explained. "It became standard in all Undergrounds to demanifest the bodies of Players in order to prevent people from going 'Hey, didn't I find you dead in the back alley?' or such. There's a limit to what the UG can stop people from noticing."

Kaito shook his head. "Did you need something?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," Neru confirmed. "I need your help."

Len wrestled Rin's hand off his mouth. "We're not Players anymore," he reprimanded. "You can't just order us around because we're here."

Neru shook her head. "I didn't think I could," she admitted. "But at least hear me out."

The members of Glory Music exchanged glances and then turned back to the Reaper.

"The current Game Master is breaking the rules," Neru informed them. "She's begun creating Taboo Noise - Noise that hunt Players and Reapers indiscriminately and relentlessly. The Players are fighting for their lives, and every day they've got less time to take out the target when they get there. Normally, the Composer would be able to neutralize the refinery sigils that the Noise are coming from, but the GM has grounded them here in the RG. There's nothing we can do from the UG."

"And where do we come in?" Len asked.

"Erasing the sigils is going to require a continuous effort," she explained. "If I try to start erasing it and, say, the GM notices me and shifts me back up to the UG, then it's like I haven't done anything. But she can't interfere with civilians. And if she tries to, I can always keep her busy."

Luka nodded. "We'll help you."

Neru sighed. "Much obliged. Come on."

The six of them made their way to the elevator; once they were inside, Neru hit the button for the ground floor, and the elevator began to descend. "So, where are these refinery sigils?" Meiko asked.

"She's made four of them so far," Neru replied, opening up a memo on her phone with a list. "One in the concert venue at Silent Beat, one in the Garden, one on Pain Crave, and one in Fire Child."

"Seems like the bridge would be the best idea," Kaito observed.

"At this hour?" Len argued. "Nobody's going to be playing sports at this hour. We should get that one over with."

Luka angled her head. "The sun's up. Somebody's going to be en route already."

"Like someone in particular," Rin inquired, "or are you just guessing?"

"My Day 3 started around this hour," Luka explained. "We started in the stake park and almost ran into someone on our way out."

Neru chuckled. "You can't run into someone in the RG," she reprimanded.

"You know what I mean," Luka insisted.

Meiko shook her head. "So, the bridge then? I can't imagine they're going to let us into the con-"

The elevator dinged on the second floor, and she fell quiet as they turned to the opening doors.

Standing there was a woman who looked to be about Meiko's age, with dark red eyes and long hair that started out black but gradiated to red. She was garbed in a long-sleeved black jacket that was just barely done up enough to preserve her modesty, a pair of black shorts, and what looked like _armoured red greaves_  that gave way to something between high heels and armoured boots. Thin crimson _horns_ rested upon her head, and her hands were covered in bony red claws; her right hand was closed on a massive _greatsword_ -looking shape in red and black with a serrated black edge and a jagged basket hilt. Her left hand was gripping a cheap plastic bag so thin they could make out the contents within; a leather belt, a large tower candle, a bottle of very high-proof alcohol, and a pack of matches.

Silence for a long moment. Luka raised a hand with one finger pointing downward; the woman shook her head, and Kaito hit the button for the ground floor again.

* * *

A few hours later, Miku woke up on the same rooftop, finding Haku already awake. They knew the drill by now; the two of them made their way to the elevator, and this time, the message arrived before they'd barely started moving.

 _Day V_  
_Destination - Starmine_  
_Target - Rhino_  
_Time limit - 02:00:00_  
_Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Remember what we said yesterday?" Haku reminded her.

'Head straight for the target,' Miku recalled. 'Don't waste time with the small fry or we're gonna run out.'

"That's it." Haku winced as the timer appeared. "Three more days. Taboo Noise or not, I swear we're gonna win this."

Miku nodded. 'I appreciate it.'

To their great displeasure, however, no sooner had they stepped out of the building than they found Noise sigils waiting to ambush them. Haku swore when the civilians faded out, drawing her black blade as a pair of Grizzly Noise dropped out. This time, Miku aimed her pillar carefully so it knocked  **both** Noise, giving Haku free reign to leap up; she started slashing at one, and Miku began to bombard it with rounds, the onslaught suspending it in the air. It faded out in short order, and Haku landed with a falling blow on the other Grizzly; Miku began to strike it with orbs of water, which bounced away in multiple directions until the Noise had faded.

Haku turned round and found herself trapped in a ring of water.

"...Miku!"

'Sorry!'

* * *

They still had an hour and fifteen minutes on their timer when they got to Starmine Square - and found a most worrisome sight. Matcha and Azuki were standing there, back to back, and on either side was a huge black rhino with a massive horn of grey waves. Both Support Reapers had revolvers in hand, but both of them looked to be in trouble - and both were visibly relieved when they saw the Players.

"Miku! Yowane!" Azuki fired a shot, causing one Noise to flash. "Get them in the back!"

Haku quickly charged the Rhino in front of Matcha, slashing at it as she passed. The Reapers started firing rapidly as Miku approached Azuki's opponent, lighting a flame beneath the to strike at it; in short order, the Noise faded out, leaving the four to turn to one another.

'Don't you have those  _Instant Noise Erasure_ bullets?' Miku asked.

"They don't work on Taboo," Azuki insisted.

"Did you try a cross combo?" Haku demanded.

Matcha looked awkward. "Um..."

Heavy footsteps drew the Players' attentions as three more rhinos emerged from another set of sigils. The Reapers quickly opened their revolvers, unloading their  _Self-Cross Combo_ bullets and loading in  _Instant Noise Erasure_ ; as the Taboo Noise approached, they both took aim at the lead and fired, one-two.

The Noise faded out with a flash as the second shot hit, and two more rounds of paired shots took out the remaining Noise.

"Stupid," Matcha muttered. "Can't believe I didn't think of that."

"You can't take out Taboo without a cross combo," Haku admitted, "I don't blame you for not."

Miku glanced at her hand. 'Timer's gone,' she observed. 'Mission clear.'

Azuki rounded on Haku, eyeing her black blade. "So you're the one who broke our door open?" she inquired.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Haku admitted. "I didn't want to-"

"Apology accepted," Matcha interrupted. "With these Taboo running around, Miku wouldn't last long on her own."

'Why do I get the feeling that that's the idea...' Miku murmured.

" **No** ," Azuki interrupted. "No no no. Gumi tried to  _erase_  the GM for this. This is absolutely unacceptable. Calne Ca is gonna get handed to you on a platter come Day 7."

Haku turned to her. "Tried to?" she murmured. "What do you mean,  _tried_ to? The Composer should be able to erase anyone at  _will_."

Matcha shrugged. "Well, when you're standing in front of a Taboo refinery sigil you can't shut down from the UG and your opponent has already planned their escape route, you're a little less capable than you would be."

"...I guess you've got a point."

* * *

"She went back to Machine Muzik. Of  _course_ she did."

Gumi was pacing in the Otherworld's Await, furious. "Damned Cantus. Stupid, Gumi.  _Stupid_. You're the damned Composer, you should have been able to stop her! Why couldn't you stop her!?" She slammed a fist against a nearby tree, growling. "Taboo Noise of all things... Azuki was right. Why did you pull her out of the hole!?"

Quiet.

_You know why you pulled her out of the hole. You'd sooner lose your throne to her than lose it because of Hatsune._

She dug into her pocket, drawing out Gakupo's fan. "She's gonna stay there," she muttered. "You can't let her make the mission unwinnable. But if she can stop me, she can stop Hatsune."

The fan was thrown to the ground.

"That's a risk worth taking."

**This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee  
Chapter Closed**


	46. 2 Days Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Humans don't live long enough to enjoy being otaku. Draco is just freaking out trying to keep up with everything he wants to keep up with.

"And that's five."

Luka's proclamation had Neru sighing in relief. It was late at night - or, rather, early in the morning, as midnight had just passed - as they finished off the last Taboo Noise refinery sigil, located in Swordsman's Square. Neutralizing them was a simple matter of Glory Music cleaning up the RG-based graffiti, leaving Neru to wipe out the UG effects once it was gone courtesy of a custom bullet from the Composer. "I owe you guys big time," she praised.

"Don't worry about it," Len insisted. "Worth it to help Miku."

"So, this is gonna stop all the Taboo Noise in DIVA, right?" Rin asked.

Neru shook her head. "It'll stop any more from appearing," she corrected. "But the ones that are left can still give the Players trouble. That being said, less generation means less trouble to give. The Game's gonna end with her victorious."

Meiko spoke up. "Is... is the rooftop plaza part of the Game?" she asked. "Like, are Players and Reapers visible up there?"

"No, they're not," Neru confirmed. "Well, Reapers  _can_ be if they choose, but they're not forcibly downshifted. Why?"

"Nothing," Meiko insisted. "Just curious. It's outside, so I wasn't sure."

Neru gave her a confused look, but only shook her head. "I'd better head back to the Otherworld. See you around."

She took off onto Parallel Circuit, and once she was out of earshot Kaito turned to Meiko. "It's not nothing, is it?" he accused.

Meiko turned to Len. "You said Haku couldn't shift down to the RG, right?" she asked.

Rin saw what she was saying in short order. "You saw her in the RG?"

"More than just saw," Luka corrected, realizing what Meiko was getting at. "She knew what happened in your Games because she brought us to the rooftop to tell us."

"Okay, wait,  _what!?_ "

* * *

 _Day VI_  
_Destination - Tengaku_  
_Target - Drake_  
_Time limit - 02:00:00_  
_Cost of failure - Erasure_

'That's the five points again,' Miku observed, browsing through the past mission messages as she and Haku rode the elevator down. 'Is there something about those places?'

"Not that I know of," Haku admitted. "It's mostly just a nice theme. Racing to the five points of the star."

'I guess.'

The elevator arrived on the ground floor as the timers appeared, and the two made their way out. This time, they were ready; a horde of Taboo frogs and a rhino were waiting for them as they left the 39 Building, and the moment she saw the civilians fade out, Haku drew her black blade and charged forward. A combination of sword strikes and Miku's rounds were enough to dispose of the frogs in short order, and Haku - remembering Azuki's words about attacking a rhino from behind - quickly sidestepped a horn sweep and leapt atop the advancing Noise, landing behind it. One strike preceded Miku knocking it into the air with a pillar of ice, and Haku leapt after it and slashed it alternately with Miku's bolts of lightning, fading it out in short order.

"Let's not waste time," Haku instructed as the civilians faded back in. "Let's hurry."

Hurrying, however, proved to be surprisingly unnecessary; aside from the ambush, the only Taboo Noise they found was a pair of wolves and a grizzly as they made their way to Tengaku Square. 'What happened to the hordes?' Miku wondered.

Haku shrugged. "I guess Gumi must've gotten around to neutralizing the refinery sigils," she guessed. "All that's left is the Noise still lingering about." Her face fell. "Which includes..."

A massive Noise sigil appeared nearby, drawing their attention as they were shifted to Noise frequency.

"...our target."

From the sigil emerged a draconic Noise, its body in deep black; its face and tail were waves that gradiated from black to a surprisingly light grey, and waves on the darker end of the spectrum formed spikes along its wings. Miku took a ready stance, and Haku drew her black blade.

"Tomorrow we kick a Cantus. Let's make today count!"

The dragon opened its maw to roar - and Miku quickly slammed it shut with a pillar from below.

* * *

"Composer?"

Gumi shot upright, one hand lashing forward - and found it met on a large red-and-black pistol. Neru was standing there, her finger well away from the trigger, as she gave a "Woah" of concern; the Composer slowly lowered her hand, and the enforcer let her weapon fade. "Bad dream?"

"I haven't slept well since just about this time last week," Gumi admitted.

Neru sighed. "The Taboo refinery sigils have been disposed of," she informed. "All that's left is the matter of Calne Ca's punishment."

Gumi lowered her head. "I... I don't know what I can do."

"What?!"

"I couldn't erase her," Gumi explained. "When I found her in Fire Child, I tried to erase her for this. And she didn't even react. What I do, it's just focused pain until they break, that erases them. She's already hurting just being in the UG where she can't... show her form. I can't even touch her." She shook her head. "All I can do is make sure they can find her. And maybe not give them a time limit for it."

Neru reached into her pocket. "Then I should probably put this back at the Await," she admitted awkwardly, drawing out Gakupo's fan.

Gumi nodded. "Yes, you should." The enforcer took off, and the Composer closed her eyes.

_If they can't defeat her... is she really going to come after me?_

* * *

"How  _was_ she up here..."

Luka had made her way back up to the roof of 39 - on her own this time - as the sun was going down. After their discussion last night/this morning, her mind was racing; she had no idea how Haku, who was supposed to be devoid of a Reaper's powers, had been able to shift to the RG and talk to them atop the building where the modulator decal wouldn't affect her.

 _Haku is... a bit of an enigma. I can't really tell you much about the situation because_ none of us _quite understand the details..._

Neru's words back during Luka's own Game rose in the pink-haired girl's mind. If there was no one amongst the Reapers who understood the details, that raised some serious questions about Haku - the alleged ex-Reaper.

What if she was more than that?

**Wings  
Chapter Closed**


	47. 1 Day Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I really don't think I can do Calne Ca proper horrifying justice. Watch the music video for Machine Muzik or Bacterial Contamination if you really want to get a sense of what she feels like.

To Miku's somewhat pleasant surprise, the last day of the Game found her and Haku at the Flower Fight Memorial rather than atop 39 again. Haku, however, was rather less-than-pleased. "This is gonna cut down on our time a little," she murmured.

'It's always ten hours for the GM fight,' Miku reminded her.

"Yes, but-"

Their phones went off, to tell them the mission had arrived.

 _Day VII_  
_Erase the Game Master and her allies._  
_No time limit._

'No time limit,' Miku observed.

Haku sighed. "That's a bit of a misnomer, actually," she admitted. "The Game can never go longer than seven days. Even if you have 'no time limit', if there's an incomplete mission at midnight on Day 7, that's your instant erasure." A glance at the time. "It's noon. That means we have twelve hours. Which is just a couple longer than the usual ten."

Miku checked the message again. 'Erase the Game Master... and her allies...' She shook her head. 'It doesn't say  **where**.'

"Don't worry," Haku insisted. "I know where."

* * *

They made their way to the garden between I_O Walk and Cybernation Plaza - where Cul had planted her target on Day 6 when she had been Game Master. Haku was mildly surprised to find a folding fan sitting in the middle of the garden, kneeling down to pick it up. "This is...?"

'That's Kamui's,' Miku realized.

Haku gave an impressed huff. "This makes things easier," she murmured.

She guided Miku to a corner of the garden, where Miku was surprised to find what appeared to be an  _elevator box_ sitting there. They stepped inside, and once the door had closed behind them, Haku opened the fan. A square section in the elevator panel seemed to  _disappear_ , revealing a slot inside, and Haku set one finger against it as she folded the fan and slipped it in.

"Machine Muzik."

The elevator began to descend; Haku pulled her finger away from the slot as they started to go down. After a moment, Miku asked, 'What is this?'

"The access to the Otherworld," her partner explained, "where the Reapers reside. But the Conductor is able to use this place to access Machine Muzik - where Calne Ca resides." She reached into her pocket, drawing out Miku's Player Pin. "You should keep this on you."

Confused, Miku accepted the pin.

"The Player Pin stops people from scanning you - or imprinting on you. Machine Muzik acts how Calne Ca wills it to. You don't want to risk her doing something to you."

Miku quickly slipped the pin into her pocket to make sure it wasn't obvious - and she felt a shift. Haku felt it, too. "Noise frequency. Better get ready."

 _Blossom_.  _Butterfly_.  _Fan Dance_.  _Maple_.  _Azure Snow_.  _Camellia_. Miku's pins were all in order, and with a raise of her hand Haku's black blade appeared in hers.

The doors opened, and Miku stepped out. Machine Muzik looked less like a place and more like a  **void** , with dark skies and an ominous bright plane, and less that one ended where the other began so much as they faded between one another on the horizon; yet there was a solid surface beneath her feet, despite feeling that she should have dropped into the endlessness. Unnatural figures like trees writhed in the distance, a computer system rested nearby, and two towering pillars held long arms suspending what looked like  **bodies**.

"Welcome to hell, love," Haku murmured halfheartedly. "Too late to repent."

Something flew towards Miku from the side; she quickly raised her arm, and her dark barrier rose up around her in time for something to collide with it. To her horror, it seemed to be a  _skull_ , with four thin black waves like legs; it was able to remain atop her barrier and glare down at her, revealing one eye socket holding a crimson light on a black mount. A whistle like a blade moving through the air caused Haku to raise her sword, meeting a sharp, three-pronged claw on the tail-end of a six-legged scorpion-esque figure, formed from black waves with a solid arrow-esque head adorned with eight red lights.

The two pactmates glanced towards each other; then they turned, arcing around one another. Haku swung her black blade at the skull, and it flashed from the cross with Miku's barrier, shattering into pieces and fading out as they tumbled to the floor of the void; Miku swept her arm skyward, and a pillar of ice pierced the crawler from below, flashing from the cross with Haku's blade and leaving it to fade out before the pillar had demanifested.

" **Yo-wa-ne... Hat-su-ne...** "

The grating voice drew the Players' attentions skyward; a figure was standing atop one of the towers, and Miku knew it was their target.

Haku raised her blade. "Come down here, Cantus!"

With a sudden rush, someone - some _thing_ \- was standing before them; Miku gave a silent scream at the sight, and Haku only turned her sword towards it.

Calne Cantus was absolutely nightmarish; the torso, the upper half of her head, and that skeletal, inhuman left arm were the only parts that still resembled the Game Master as Miku had met her on Day 1. Her right arm past half of the shoulder was a long, steely shape of waves, with its 'forearm' region longer than even her skeletal arm and the end revolving what looked like a scythe blade - except it was  _three_ blades, all rotating along their axis independently. Her legs were similarly steely waves, long enough to leave her towering over the Players; they reached back and then bent forward, flattened along the surface beneath them, and then extended into three more blades. The lower half of her face was six black tendrils, extending from what  _should_ have been the roof of her mouth; they shifted through the air as she spoke, as though striking keys before her. Her torso was unchanged, still wearing the vest so open as to be nearly immodest; the uneven tails of her hair had turned an exceedingly dark silver, and flailed about in a wind that was not there.

" **How did you know to ar-rive at this place?** "

"Does it matter?" Haku argued. "I'm here for you."

A laugh echoed through Machine Muzik, terrifying in Calne Ca's voice. " **The Com-po-ser Her-self could not e-rase me,** " she taunted. " **What do you hope to ac-comp-lish?** "

"Gumi strikes pain, until the pain is too much," Haku countered. "But that's all it is - pain. It still doesn't compare to a blade, or a flame." She gripped her sword two-handed. "You, who refined Taboo Noise, which have no place in the Reaper's Game. You will die here, at our hands. Or, if we fail, you will die at the Producer's hands."

Calne Ca narrowed her eye. " **As though there would be some dis-hon-our to such a fate...** "

Her legs ground against the void, widening her stance as each splayed its three blades.

" **Black Rock Shooter...** "

She swept her right arm to the side, parting its blades as she raised her left before her.

" **Just you watch.** "

The Game Master faded out; then she reappeared before Miku, who barely had time to raise barrier before those blades were swung at her. Haku quickly charged forward, striking at Calne Ca's left arm to beat it aside before driving a kick into the waves on her right, giving Miku the opening to fade her barrier and knock the Cantus into the air with a pillar of ice; Haku leapt after her with her blade at the ready, intending to bring it down on the Game Master's head.

She faded out before the sword could connect, reappearing behind Miku; the Player dropped low, and the blades passed over her head, clipping her twintails to half their length and shattering the pillar before Haku could land on it again. She touched down and rushed at Calne Ca with a thrust, and Miku lit a flame beneath the Cantus. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her from sidestepping the strike, turning what would have been a direct thrust into a glancing blow across her side; Calne Ca grabbed the hilt of the sword with her skeletal hand, wrenching it out of Haku's grip and swinging her blade arm forward.

Haku leapt straight up as Miku swung a bolt to rip through the Cantus' arm, causing her to release the blade; it disappeared before it hit the surface, reappearing in Haku's hands as she fell for a cleaving blow. Calne Ca faded out before she landed, reappearing behind, and only Miku taking position behind her partner and raising her barrier stopped the blades from striking Haku in the back. The Cantus disappeared again; Miku saw her shadow appear before she did and manifested an orb of water to strike her before she could react to it.

Calne Ca glared, raising her hand forward before fading out. Miku leapt back as she reappeared, her skeletal fingers closing on air; Haku quickly struck her from behind as Miku launched a barrage of rounds, striking the Game Master full-on. She faded out again, leaving Haku's next swing striking nothing, and reappeared behind Miku, who raised her barrier once again when the blades were swung at her; Haku charged forward and slashed at Calne Ca's leg, knocking her off-balance. That moved her blades just far away enough to give Miku an opening to knock her skyward with another pillar, and this time Haku aimed a sharp slash that ripped down the Cantus' side as she flew, ripping off the point where her torso ended before she had the chance to fade away.

Miku quickly manifested another orb where she reappeared, catching her off-guard; then she lit a flame beneath Calne Ca once again, singing her from below. This time, however, she was ready, sliding aside and leaving the flame chasing her before she shot forward with her blades raised. Haku promptly caught the swing on her sword, all three blades on the Cantus' arm clattering against Haku's black edge, and Miku started bombarding the Game Master with rounds while she couldn't evade. A sharp kick with those bladed legs, however, sent Haku skidding, and Miku barely had time to raise her barrier before Calne Ca lashed those blades down its surface.

This blow had more force to it; Miku's defense didn't stop her from tumbling back, landing roughly at Haku's side. The Cantus faded out, reappearing behind them, and Miku couldn't react before Calne Ca's skeletal hand closed around her neck. Haku's attempt at striking the arm was deflected by the blades of her other, and Calne Ca faded out, reappearing atop one of the pillars and throwing Miku onto the arm.

" **Is-sue one mis-sion. E-rase one Pla-yer. Those were the terms of my bar-gain with the Com-po-ser.** " The Cantus took one step forward, the blades of her legs screaming against the metallic surface as Miku stumbled to her feet. " **She be-gan the Game with a sin-gle Pla-yer. You would have been e-rased un-con-di-tion-al-ly, were it not for Yo-wa-ne's in-ter-fer-ence. What have you done to earn the Com-po-ser's fu-ry?** "

Miku shook her head. 'I don't know,' she mouthed.

The tendrils of Calne Ca's lower face vibrated as she seethed. " **How could you have de-served the ha-tred of the Com-po-ser un-know-ing-ly?** "

'I don't know!' Miku cried soundlessly.

Calne Ca swung her blades downward, and Miku leapt back - but not straight down the arm of the tower. She landed with one foot half off, slipping as she landed and nearly sending her plummeting; one hand barely seized the ledge, and she found herself hanging off, gazing at the hanging bodies. But they  _weren't_ bodies - they were lifeless, natural flesh that was unnaturally smooth, with visibly segmented arms and legs and only the lower half of the face. Miku's gaze shot up to Calne Ca as she stormed forward, looming over Miku threateningly.

" **This is my do-main,** " she proclaimed. " **E-ven the Com-po-ser her-self can-not sur-pass me - can-not see me! But I can see DI-VA! In Ma-chine Mu-zik, I am god-dess!** "

"Then allow me to be the devil."

The Game Master turned and found herself struck by a sharp kick - a blow that sent her screaming down the arm of the tower, the blades of her legs ripping out sparks. Haku quickly knelt down and grabbed Miku, pulling her up onto the arm with a momentum towards the tower; Miku was absolutely astonished that her partner had climbed up here. 'How...?'

Haku shook her head. "Just don't... don't freak out."

Calne Ca faded in from behind her; Haku quickly spun, and to Miku's shock and terror she struck at the incoming blades with her  _bare arm_. The blow sent Calne Ca reeling, and Haku quickly bashed the pommel of her black blade against the shoulder of her skeletal arm to knock her back before slamming her foot down on the surface below. A surge of light emerged from the impact - not like a cross combo, but as though someone had ignited a flare beneath her foot - and the arm began to  _fold in_ to the tower; Miku, safely atop the tower itself, felt nothing more than a jolt from the sudden movement, but Calne Ca and Haku began to descend, the Cantus screaming sparks once the angle was too steep for her to remain in one place. Haku leapt from the arm, and Miku could have sworn she was frozen in the air for a moment before she shot down, and the tower began to withdraw into the void - taking Miku down with it - as she landed before Calne Ca.

" **How dare you!?** "

The Cantus swung her bladed arm at Haku, who brought her blade two-handed into the joint - and with a flash, the waves  _rent_ , everything past the joint fading away as Calne Ca screamed in pain. Her skeletal arm was swung forward, but Haku leapt over the blow, landing on one knee and swinging her blade at one of the Cantus' legs. A flash ripped down the path of the strike, and the shatter left Calne Ca stumbling; Haku quickly moved the blade aside in her left hand, twisting it to a reverse grip as Calne Ca tried to backhand her with her skeletal hand. Haku drove her elbow into the blow, and the bone shattered before she drew her blade back and swung it skyward.

And light seemed to flare across the void, blinding Miku to the fight.

When the light faded, Calne Cantus was gone. Standing there, her body visibly struggling to stay upright, was a girl who looked no older than a sophomore, with shoulder-length twintails of faded brown hair. Her skin was pale from lack of light; two legs and her right arm were visibly prosthetic, and her left arm was covered in vicious burns. A pair of Reaper's wings emerged from her back, and slowly, she opened her eyes - one a pale green, the other cataracted and blind.

"Black... Rock... Shooter..."

Her voice did not carry the grating it had before.

"I... can't... move..."

Her strength gave way, and she fell forward, striking the surface below. Grey thorns like Noise essence began to drift across her, slowly blotting her out entirely; and when they faded away, there was no sign she had ever been there.

Warily, Miku stepped down from the retracted tower, approaching her partner. Haku was panting, her black blade limp in her hands, and slowly, she turned to face the survivor.

"Miku... I'm so sorry."

'What was that?' Miku mouthed. 'How did you-?'

"This is..." Haku sighed. "This is... power I can't use in DIVA. The Composer will see it from the other end of the district. When she said the Composer can't see into this place, I knew she couldn't see it.  _This_ is why I was trying to deceive you with that blank pin." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry for lying to you. For keeping this from you."

'Haku...' Miku closed her eyes briefly before turning her gaze back to her partner. 'What... are you?'

* * *

The Otherworld - the domain of the Reapers, underground in the Underground of DIVA. The elevator from the Await came out in a hallway known as the Walk of Demons, where several doorways lay; each door had the name of a Reaper upon it.  _Kokone_ ,  _Gacha Ryuto_ ,  _Otomachi Una_ ,  _Revo Cul_ ,  _Avex Lily_ ,  _Kobayashi Matcha_ ,  _Masaoka Azuki_ ,  _Akita Neru_ ,  _Kamui Gakupo_. The door at the end led to a wide open room, with torches around the walls that lit as they stepped through - the Under Dark.

"A battlefield," Haku explained as she and Miku crossed the area. "If someone meaning to slay the Composer reaches this point, the Conductor has a place to confront them."

The door on the other side took them to another hallway known as the Walk of the Dead, which had a glass ceiling at one point exposing the river that ran beneath DIVA. This hall was considerably longer, eventually coming out at the Dead God's Pad - the meeting room of the Reapers. A glass table in the center of the room was webbed with cracks, and several comfortable-looking seats were positioned around it; a gentle lighting from below passed through a similarly-cracked glass floor, and lanterns hung in the corners of the room; a heavy-looking filing cabinet that seemed to be set partially into the wall.

In fact, as some careful maneuvering across the damaged floor revealed, it hid an access to a third hallway - the Walk of Seraphim. There were several strange, silvery-white feathers scattered throughout this hallway, lingering in the corners but completely untouched by dust, as they made they way through to the end. There, they found an ornate double door in black, covered in golden patterns.

Haku took a heavy breath. "This is it," she mused. "Are you ready?"

Miku nodded. 'I'm ready.'

The swordswoman set her hand on the door, and with a brief flash of light, it pulled open, allowing them inside.

Black Illusion - the Composer's personal chamber. Six towering pillars of blackest onyx extended heavenward from a floor in dark hues that seemed to be shifting constantly. Anyone would swear the ceiling above was a starry sky, a darkness scattered with light. The walls were of similar design to the floor, save for those immediately opposite the entrance; there, brilliant diamonds in an expansive spectrum were arranged like stained glass, painting the image of four beasts - ram, lion, tiger, and snake.

Directly beneath that image was a throne... and upon that throne was Naka Gumi.

The Composer shot to her feet as the Players stepped forward. "Yowane. Hatsune."

"Naka."

Gumi visibly flinched when Haku addressed her. "What are you doing here?"

Haku shook her head. "The final mission of the Game. _Erase_ _the Game Master and her allies_. The Game Master has been defeated."

"And you think I-" Gumi scoffed. "I was talking about those  **things** crawling around Machine Muzik."

"You don't consider yourself an ally to the Game Master you went out of your way to recruit?" Haku accused.

"She placed Taboo Noise refinery sigils across DIVA," Gumi snapped. "I would have erased her myself if I could have. I am no ally of Calne Cantus."

"Calne Cantus is no more." Haku's voice had gone dark. "The Game is over. You lose."

The Composer blinked. "Me...?"

Haku stepped forward. "You made a wager. You believed Miku would be nothing without her voice. So you inducted her into the Game, and trapped her in the Underground for six weeks of missions. And then, you stacked the deck against her. You prevented anyone - Player or Reaper - from recognizing her. You permitted missions that half the Players were kept from completing. You allowed mission messages that the Players would have no ways of understanding. You offered Game Masters unfair advantages that you have never allowed before. And you began her final week while  **she** was the only Player - preventing her from making a pact without outside interference. Still she overcame every difficulty you threw at her. You have lost - and now, you must forfeit your throne as Composer."

Gumi stumbled away. "How do you-?"

The ex-Reaper was nearly in striking range at this point as she shook her head. "What, does it hurt? Knowing that your violations, your unfair trial, did not go unnoticed? Does it hurt, to hear all your cruelty..."

A light gathered around her back.

"...coming from the lips of an Angel?"

Miku looked away as the light flared; Gumi, however, was horror-struck, stumbling away. From Haku's back emerged a pair of great, feathered wings in brilliant bright hues. Yet, as they took full form, each almost twice the length of her arm, the light faded away... and Gumi was shocked when she saw each feather gradiated from white at the base to a dark grey at the tip.

"Dark wings...?" She took a defensive stance. "You're... the Fallen Angel!?"

" _The_ Fallen..." Haku wore an expression of confusion for just a moment before breaking into a quiet grin. "You mean that rumor that's been around since before I was ever a Reaper? No, that's not me. I don't even know if that has any truth to it." She took a step forward. "No, I fell by my own request. I wanted to see DIVA, to continued to watch over it. I observe the Reaper's Game as a proxy for Black Rock Shooter. I watch - and when I watched your hatred grow, and cloud your eyes, I consulted the Producer... and made a wager with the Composer."

Gumi's eyes were alight with terror. "That was you!?"

" _What are you willing to put where your mouth is?_ " Haku's voice sounded changed as she spoke, and for a brief moment Gumi and Miku could have both sworn her hair was whipping about at her left side, jet-black. "You agreed to the wager, Naka."

"You wouldn't-!" Gumi reached for the goggles atop her head. "You deceived me!"

"You would never let anyone but the Producer convince you that you were being unjust," Haku accused. "Measures need to be taken."

The Composer shook her head. "No! Deceived or not, it changes nothing! My wager was with Black Rock Shooter!"

The stained-glass image of diamonds began to shine above them, and a voice rang out around them - not reaching their ears, but heard in their minds nonetheless.

_Then I must take the prize._

Even Haku had not expected this; she stepped back, folding her wings behind her, and Miku felt a sudden rush of shock. Gumi's body went limp, and she fell to her knees as the diamond shards that formed the image pulled away; a void of light rested behind it, and from that light, she emerged.

Miku realized that Calne Ca had modeled herself after the Producer, and had come short in every aspect. Black Rock Shooter looked like a sophomore-age girl on the surface, with black hair drawn into uneven twintails; short and sharp on her right, long and free on her left. Her skin was light - not the unhealthy pale of one who kept out of the sun, but a far softer brightness of one who cannot get any darker. Her body was garbed in a jet-black hooded longcoat left open, revealing a black bra and a pair of very short black shorts below; her hands were covered by black gloves that reached halfway up her forearm, and her feet a pair of high black boots that nearly reached her knees. As she descended, she turned to face Gumi, revealing a white star upon the back of her coat.

When she spoke, her lips did not move; her voice echoed silently in the air, and was heard clearly in the minds of all around her.

_Naka Gumi, you have let emotion bias your judgement, and proven yourself undeserving of the Composer's throne. Further, your wager has been settled, and you must pay the price to the victor. We of the Higher Plane cannot permit you to rule over DIVA any further._

A bright blue flame burned about the Producer's left eye, and Naka Gumi closed her eyes, bowing her head as her body was draped in light; and when it faded, she was gone.

Slowly, Black Rock Shooter turned around, the flame fading out.  _Yowane Haku, do you oppose?_

Miku turned to Haku, who only shook her head. "No."

At that, the Producer turned to Miku, and it took all of her strength not to cower away on receiving that intense gaze. She gasped lightly at the force of Black Rock Shooter's attention - and found her voice returned to her.

_Hatsune Miku. You have taken victory in the Reaper's Game. By fair judgement, you have earned the right to be restored to life - not once, but six times over. However, you have also shown perseverance, compassion, and inspiration. We of the Higher Plane offer you a place among us as an Angel. You may join the Higher Plane - or, if you prefer, you may take the Composer's throne, and remain in DIVA._

Silence hung in Black Illusion for a long moment.

"...N-No." It took a surprising effort to utter the single word. "I-I'm sorry, but... I can't-"

 _I understand._  The Producer's interruption caught Miku off-guard.  _You wish to return, as you have promised your friends. You shall have your life restored._

Then she turned to the Fallen Angel.  _Yowane Haku. As victor in your wager with Naka Gumi, you have defeated the Composer of DIVA, and earned the right to take the throne._ The flame in her left eye relit.  _In addition_ _, we of the Higher Plane have deemed your sins justified, and lift the stigma of Fallen Angel._

Haku was caught off-guard by that. Wind surged out in all directions around her, sending her hair, as well as Miku's and the Producer's, whipping about; her wings were raised skyward, and the darkness on each feather seemed to be stripped away, leaving them brilliant white.

As the wind died down, Haku loosed an amazed breath, one wing reaching before her as she gazed upon it. "Th-Thank you..." Concerned, she turned to Black Rock Shooter. "But... what of you? As your proxy, I-"

 _The Producer is meant to observe their assigned Underground for themselves._ The flame in her eye went out.  _Your acting as my proxy was a unique case. If you will take the seat of Composer, I shall return to seeing DIVA personally._

Miku felt the world fading out as Black Rock Shooter turned to face her again.

_Congratulations, Hatsune Miku._

**Game  
Chapter Closed**


	48. The Day After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I've got a LOT of explaining to do. We're still not done yet.

_'Haku... What... are you?'_

_At Miku's soundless question, Haku let her black blade vanish. "I... am a Fallen Angel."_

_'What?'_

_Haku shook her head. "I joined the Reapers because I hated the way the Reaper's Game was run. But I couldn't do anything to change it - it didn't need to be changed. I couldn't see that. I **wouldn't** see that. So on my seventh day, I left. And then, the day after... Black Rock Shooter came to me."_

_'The Producer?' Miku asked, shocked._

_"Yes," Haku confirmed. "She offered me the place of an Angel. But I didn't want to leave DIVA to fend for itself. And I couldn't have Gumi suspicious of why I kept disappearing. So I asked Black Rock Shooter to brand me as a Fallen Angel... and strip me of the ability to upshift higher than the Underground."_

_Miku remembered when they had last spoken about Angel. 'That's why you said you didn't want to think about the Higher Plane,' she realized._

_A nod. "Yes. Black Rock Shooter asked me to serve as her proxy. I observe the Underground and report about what happens around here, to the Producer, who passes it on to the Higher Plane. In time I realized that... the Reaper's Game isn't as unfair as I thought it was. I was content to just watch things happen. Lend a hand to Neru when she needed to keep her eyes open, and otherwise just sit back and watch the Game unfold."_

_"Then... you."_

_'Me?'_

_"Gumi's jealous of you," Haku explained. "You, and your friends, and Glory Music... you're everything she **wants** to be. But she doesn't have your fame - and she doesn't have the kind of talented friends to back her up and help her attain it. How can a bar singer compare to a district-famous indie band?" A brief smile rose on her face before falling again. "That envy began to grow... and grow... and it started affecting things. She'd make Games harder on the Players. She'd let violations of the rules slide. And every Game, no matter how many Players survived, she'd only restore one to life, and make the others play again." She shook her head. "No one ever survived two straight Games before you showed up."_

_Miku's gaze fell. 'Then... why **did** I show up?'_

_Haku sighed. "Because I tried to put a stop to it," she replied. "I spoke with Black Rock Shooter. Then... I took her form, and spoke with Gumi directly. She thought that, because you're just the vocalist - no instruments, no songwriting - that your friends were the **only** reason you guys were famous. She thought that you only made your friends thanks to your vocal skills - she thought you'd be nothing without your voice. So I convinced her to put it to the test."_

_'My voice...' Miku raised a hand to her lips. 'That's why...'_

_"That's why it's your entry fee," Haku confirmed. "If you could survive the Reaper's Game without your voice, that would be proof you're more than just a sweet sound. I..." She closed her eyes. "I promised her, if she won... she'd get the fame you have now."_

_'And if you won?' Miku asked._

_Haku held a hand before her. "The Composer's throne. She thinks the status of Producer is... nothing worth holding. She thought I was Black Rock Shooter, and she offered me the Composer's throne - to take for myself, or to give to whoever I want to." Her hand fell. "But she thought, if you survived a single Game, it could just be you getting lucky. She's the one who insisted it would take six Games for you to prove yourself."_

_Miku closed her eyes. 'That's why they're happening so fast,' she realized._

_"Gumi tries to make sure the Game's victors don't suffer," Haku elaborated. "She wouldn't admit it... but she knew there was the chance that you could win. And if you did, your friends would suffer if you were dead too long. Seven Games in nine weeks, including the Player Hunt before your first. That's why the Reapers are dwindling - because you don't want to be a Reaper, and everyone else earns their return to life."_

_'So what happens now?' Miku asked._

_Haku turned to the elevator box to the Otherworld, sitting in the void of Machine Muzik. "Erase the Game Master and her allies," she recalled. "Gumi asked Calne Ca to be Game Master again. She'll be one of the allies. We have to go through her. She's desperate to win this." She glanced down at her hands. "The Composer has the power to bring Players and Reapers back from erasure. They might be a little disoriented... but they didn't deserve this. Any of them. She's been throwing them away in a desperate attempt to take you out." Her fingers curled into a fist. "Forcing a Player to face the Composer is unacceptable. I can't hide this any more. I have to show Gumi what I am."_

_She turned to Miku. "...But even then, it's not gonna be easy. A Fallen Angel means a weaker Angel. As Composer, Gumi might still outmatch me. I can't ask you to come with me."_

_Miku shook her head. 'Then don't ask,' she insisted. 'I'm coming because I want to.'_

_An honest smile rose on Haku's face. "I'm going to get you your life back," she promised. "You of all Players have earned it."_

* * *

Quiet.

After so long in the Underground, so long surrounded by not only the voices but the thoughts of DIVA's inhabitants, Miku was briefly disoriented when she slowly awoke and found her surroundings were  _quiet_. There were still some background sounds, but it was nothing compared to the sheer volume of sound that Players, in time, let become white noise.

She opened her eyes.

She was lying in her bed, in her apartment, on a rather busy street in Diola. A glance at her docked MP3 player revealed it was almost 9 in the morning, and as she slowly rose she found everything lying in all the same places as though it were any other day.

Her phone, lying on her bedside table, buzzed with a message, and after a moment she picked it up. Unsurprisingly, the 'Reaper Collective' wasn't registered in her phone anymore; the mission messages accumulated during her Games were absent entirely, and the new message was from an unregistered number.

_Meet me on 39._

As grateful as Miku was for Haku saving her, being back in the Realground meant being tired in the morning, and Miku wasn't about to rush straight to the middle of DIVA District for a meeting with the new Composer. She took her time, starting the day as she would any other; a meal, a shower, a scan of the news. To her surprise and embarassment, the recent headlines on Diola's online newspaper all involved the deaths of her and her friends - and 'the disappearance of Hatsune Miku' was a distressingly common phrase in those papers. What had appeared to be her  _own suicide note_ had been found atop the 39 Building; the most recent of those headlines showed that Kamui Gakupo had confessed to being complicit in forging that note, claiming that - more likely than not - Hatsune Miku was alive.

That didn't make Miku any more eager to be seen in DIVA District after being gone for almost nine weeks, however. Thus, as she made her way to the 39 Building, she was dressed in a hooded top with which she was able to keep more or less hidden; a few Glory Music fans visibly recognized her face as she passed, but she managed to avoid starting any mass panics before she arrived in the building. She quickly made her way to the elevator, hitting the button for the rooftop plaza; then, once it was moving, she drew out her phone and sent a mass text to her friends, telling them she was, in fact, alive and promising to tell them the details once they all met up again.

The elevator dinged at the rooftop plaza, and she pocketed her phone and stepped out.

"Hello, Hatsune."

Miku was struck with terror when she saw who stood there - Naka Gumi was perched on the edge of the heart of DIVA. Her silver goggles were sitting properly over her eyes, their dark lenses doing nothing to hinder the glare she levelled on the survivor, and a bag sitting on her hip, the zipper opened.

"Naka...?"

Pain. That same pain that struck her, every time she had stood atop the 39 Building during the Games, now bombarded her again, and Miku almost doubled over, her hands going to her head, as it intensified with a suddenness it hadn't before.

* * *

_"Thanks for your purchase, miss."_

_Miku accepted her bag with a smile, swinging it over her shoulder as she stepped out of the Garden of God clothing shop in 39. She and her friends had agreed to meet up today to make plans for their next performance, and as she was  **significantly** ahead of schedule, she decided to stop by the rooftop plaza and kill some time. Something about being able to look over all of Diola always made her feel inspired._

_She was on the second floor; as she hit the button for the roof, someone called "Hold the elevator!" from nearby, prompting her to stop the doors on her arm as someone charged up. A young man stepped in and hit the button for the fifth floor, panting for a moment as the doors closed again before he realized who he was standing with. "Woah, you're... Hatsune Miku. From Glory Music."_

_A smile rose on Miku's face. "Yeah," she confirmed._

_"Oh, today just keeps getting better," the guy mused. "Perfect plans with my GF, sweetest sales are on, and now I get in an elevator with **Hatsune**." His face fell. "Hey, um... some friends of mine were making plans for a... well, a sort of tribute to what happened at Utau City. We'd be honoured if you guys could-"_

_"No, I'd be happy to," Miku assured him. "I'm sure the others will be on board."_

_"Thanks." He drew out a scrap of paper, writing a number down before tearing it off. "Give us a call, we'll be happy to talk with you guys."_

_The elevator arrived in short order; the man took off, and Miku hit the button for the rooftop again. No more interruptions before she arrived, and she stepped out with a smile, her twintails waving in the winds of the higher altitude._

_A snap of fingers - and pain. Sudden, incomparable pain like a thousand knives ripped through Miku, and as she opened her mouth to scream, no sound came out. Her bag fell from her grip as she stumbled forward, falling to her knees and then collapsing on the rooftop as the torment continued, and as she struggled to move someone stepped up at her side._

_"Look at you, glory musician."_

_Slowly, Miku managed to turn over, gazing up at the one standing over her - a young woman with green hair. Her right hand was closed, save for her index finger and thumb extended like a finger gun... or the aftermath of a snap._

_"What's the matter? The siren can't sing?"_

_Her vision darkened, and the woman clicked her tongue reprimandingly._

_"Then what **can** you do?"_

* * *

With a gasp of terror, Miku stumbled forward, finding herself on that same rooftop. Her gaze shot up to Gumi, who was standing there confrontingly - just as she had been nearly nine weeks ago.

"You...?" Miku's breath was heavy. "You... killed me."

"Finally came back to you, did it?" Gumi inquired. "Doesn't that just figure."

Miku didn't understand. "How? How did you do that?"

"The Composer is a tier above common Reapers." Gumi turned away, stepping up closer to the edge. "Reapers contain all their power in their wings, and in the Realground those wings disappear. The Composer, on the other hand, can still use some of her powers here." She shook her head, reaching into her back. "But I'm not Composer any more. I'm no better than any other wingless bitch."

She rounded on Miku, drawing something silver out of her bag.

"Which means we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

A gleaming figure was thrown across the rooftop, landing at Miku's feet - a revolver, the same make and model as the one Haku had used at the start of last week. Gumi reached into the bag again, drawing out another revolver, and Miku only watched as she pulled back the hammer.

"I'm going to count down from ten. On zero, we shoot."

Miku stumbled back. "Gumi..."

"Ten."

"Don't."

"Nine."

"Why are you-?"

"Eight."

"Gumi, please-!"

" _Seven_."

Miku shook her head. "No..."

" _Six._ "

"You don't have to-"

" _Five!_ "

"...I won't."

" _Four!_ "

"No."

" ** _Three!_** "

"I'm not going to do this!"

" ** _Two!_** "

"Gumi!"

" ** _ONE!_** "

The former Composer's hands were shaking on the revolver as Miku closed her eyes and spread her hands.

"...Zero."

Gunfire echoed from atop the 39 Building - the heart of DIVA.

* * *

"Enter."

Gakupo had come to Black Illusion very rarely during Gumi's tenure as Composer, usually when someone needed to be convinced that he  _was_ , actually, speaking to the Composer and not only pretending to. Part of it was Gumi's tendency to seek him out when she wanted to talk to him, but part of it was the constantly shifting state of the room, save for the mural of ox, lion, tiger, and snake above the Composer's throne.

And this time, the Composer's throne was occupied by someone else.

"Yowane Haku." Gakupo closed the door behind him. "So you defeated Gumi."

"Not in the way you're probably thinking," Haku admitted, getting to her feet.

Gakupo stepped forward. "Well, then... Composer. What do you require of me?"

"You served as Conductor during Gumi's reign," Haku observed. "And you performed your duty admirably."

"Yes," Gakupo conceded, "but that should be irrelevant. It is entirely the Composer's choice as to who holds the position of Conductor."

"You misunderstand," Haku insisted. "You served as an excellent Conductor. I would ask you to take the mantle again." She drew out a familiar folding fan. "I believe this is yours."

There was a moment's hesitation before Gakupo shook his head. "It was Cyber Songman's before me," he insisted. "It is a mark of the Conductor... and with the Calne Ca's erasure, it serves no true purpose."

His reply seemed to catch Haku off-guard. "Are you saying you would not like to take the mantle again?"

Silence fell briefly before the former Conductor nodded. "...I am, yes. I encourage you to find someone else."

Haku opened the fan, tapped it with her finger, and then closed it again before holding it out to him. "Then it is not a mark of the Conductor anymore. Keep it as a memento." As Gakupo accepted it uncertainly, she continued, "I'm left with the impression you have something more to say."

Gakupo took a heavy breath.

"Gumi is dead once again."

"Yes," Haku confirmed. "The Producer restored her to life... and she took it herself when Miku refused to try."

"I..." Gakupo sighed. "I would like to be made a Player in the next Reaper's Game."

Haku raised an eyebrow. "That's not out sympathy," she accused. "You refused to serve her when you realized what she was doing."

"No, it's not," Gakupo confirmed. "I want you to... to subject Gumi to the sort of Game to which she subjected Miku. Bare minimum of Players. Significant disadvantage. Overlooked rules. The works."

"That's not something I can do of my own volition," Haku warned. "I'll have to consult the Producer." She raised her hand. "But if you're sure... I can enter you in the Game."

"Please."

The Composer closed her hand, and Gakupo was wrapped in light. As it faded, she stepped forward, and once she was at the point where the former Conductor had been, she turned to face the diamond mural. The shards shifted away, and from the void of light behind it emerged Black Rock Shooter.

"Well?"

 _Naka Gumi's envy for Hatsune Miku is unceasing,_ the Producer observed.  _She will never surrender it willingly. She keeps it close._

Haku nodded, a small smile playing on her face. "My thoughts exactly."

**0 Hours 0 Minutes 0 Seconds  
Chapter Closed**


	49. The Days Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> We're gonna go into a bit of an anachronic order here. Sorry for any oncoming headaches. For best results, play SPiCa -39's Giving Day- and start reading on the last couple verses.

**20 days before Hatsune Miku's first Reaper's** **Game**

" _Tameiki de ochikondeita_  
_Gogo omou dake kimi no na o_  
_Hitori tsubuyaku wa asahaka na ai ja_  
_Todokanai yo ne_

 _Aitakute piano kanadeta_  
_Oto kurushikute afuredasu_  
_Yoinjoujou kimi ni todoke..._ "

Glory Music was performing on Silent Beat Alleyway, and they had attracted quite the crowd. Alas, not everyone who heard that song was enjoying it; as Hatsune sang out to the tune of SPiCa, a green-haired figure fumed on a rooftop across the alley - albeit at a higher frequency.

" _Dakishimete deawanakereba_  
_Koko uketomete denebora o_  
_Tobikoeyuku wa wagamama na saisa_  
_Kimi no you da ne_

 _Oikakete ukabu panorama_  
_Gosen no ue de nagareboshi_  
_Ima utau kara terashite yo ne_  
_SPiCa!_ "

The crowd all but exploded, and as the outro continued they began chanting in rhythm. Naka Gumi was supposed to have been singing at a bar on Amaretto known as Purgatory's Ghost tonight, only for the bar's owner to close up shop before the sun had even disappeared on the grounds that "no one is going to waste their time on a bar when Hatsune frickin' Miku is rocking in Silent Beat". Gumi was not so petty as to let her anger stop her from agreeing that Glory Music had some very good songs and knew how to play them, but she couldn't stop hating the fact that everyone attributed the band's success to  **Hatsune**. It wasn't even limited to the crowd inside; a couple cheapskates hiding in the shadows outside the venue were listening to the tune, and as Kagamine Len's extended drumroll finish faded out, one guy said, "Damn, she sounds sweet."

Gumi scoffed, storming away; there was no Game on, but Reapers were free to use the Underground at their discretion - Gacha Ryuto hadn't set foot in the RG since he was made a Reaper. "Yeah, she sounds sweet," she grumbled as she emerged in Cybernation Plaza.

" _What are you saying?_ "

The voice behind her caught her off-guard; she knew the voice of Black Rock Shooter anywhere, and as she glanced over her shoulder she found the Producer standing there, a wind that was not present throwing her hair's long tail about behind her.

"I'm saying that's all she is," Gumi insisted; she was too furious to moderate her tone right now. "A sweet sound. She can't play an instrument, she can't write a song. All she's got is her voice. She'd be nothing without it. Everything else is thanks to her friends, and she made them  **because** she can sing!"

" _And what are you willing to put where your mouth is?_ "

The Producer's question surprised her. "What?"

" _She's nothing without her voice, you say. And if she proves she is?_ "

Gumi turned to face her fully. "...Are you suggesting I let her into the Game?"

" _I am,_ " the Producer confirmed. " _Make her a Player, and see what she can do without her voice. What are you willing to give up if she can win._ "

The Composer opened her mouth to speak... and then scoffed, turning away. "One Game won't be enough. Anyone can make or break one week with luck." A smirk rose on her face. "Six weeks would prove her."

Black Rock Shooter shook her head. " _Your Reapers will turn on you for that. No UG has done more than three consecutive Games. It is rare that two occur in succession._ "

"Hey," Gumi argued, "survivors who don't get back to the RG are in the next Game. It doesn't mean we gotta start Day 1 right after Day 7. We can space her out."

" _...Fair enough,_ " the Producer ceded. " _Now, what are you willing to risk?_ "

Gumi laughed - the loud, proud laugh of one who is making a bet with the confidence that she will win. "If she makes six weeks without her voice, I'll give you the Composer's throne - for whoever you want to have it." Aiming a smirk at Black Rock Shooter; "And you?"

" _The fame that Hatsune Miku holds now will be yours._ "

* * *

**13 days before Hatsune Miku's first Reaper's Game**

"Athen Sonika, age 24."

Gakupo often requested Gumi's counsel when it came to determining Players' entry fees - and with how slowly Players accumulated in DIVA, Gumi never did object. They met in the Eternal Feel for such events, and their current observation was the first Player for the next Game. "Social outcast," the Composer observed. "Surprisingly outgoing, all things considered. Ah - active social media life. Cause of death: suicide by deliberate alcohol overdose. Ooh... Proficient in six languages, passable in twenty others, and capable of determining the language of a word or name with 57% accuracy, with 23% of error attributed to multilingual or loaned words. Often peppers phrases with Latin or French to appear sophisticated." She snapped her fingers. "That'll be it."

"Her language capability?" Gakupo inquired.

"I'll leave the language she has left to your choice," Gumi prompted. "But try to keep it in the six."

The Conductor nodded, and Gumi departed the forest, making her way back down the Walk of Seraphim. As she arrived at Black Illusion, she was surprised to find the diamond mural glowing, and she quickly closed the doors behind her, prompting the shards to pull away. The Producer emerged from the void of light behind it, and Gumi bowed her head as she descended to the floor.

_You have yet to enter Hatsune Miku in the Reaper's Game._

Gumi sighed. "I forgot something crucial," she insisted. "DIVA's death rate is... slow. If I keep her in the UG long enough for this, it's going to drive her crazy when time passes her by. That's not a fair judgement. And if I run them fast enough to stop that, that means less Players to erase. The Reapers won't be able to keep enough score to survive." She shook her head. "I don't know how to go about this."

Black Rock Shooter stepped forward.  _You are aware of the events in Utau City?_

"You mean that wave?" Gumi was confused. "What does that have to do with it?"

 _Utau City possessed an Underground. Players have been accepted and inducted, but the city itself no longer exists. We of the Higher Plane have been trying to determine what to do with their Soul._ The Producer held a hand to Gumi.  _If you accept them into DIVA, your Reapers will have plenty of opportunity to amass score - more than enough to keep them alive throughout your wager._

"Are you allowed to do that?" Gumi asked.

 _It was suggested that we disperse them to another Underground,_ Black Rock Shooter explained.  _But we have yet to determine which Underground would be willing to accept such a great number. It would seem that your situation results in DIVA being the optimal destination._

Gumi nodded. "Thank you, Producer."

* * *

**6 days before Hatsune Miku's first Reaper's Game**

"What's the matter? The siren can't sing? Then what _can_ you do?

As Hatsune succumbed to death's embrace, Gumi curled her fingers into a first. A surge of light rose from the vocalist's heart, and the Composer reached her other hand forward, grasping it gently.

"You're nothing without your voice," she growled. "Your friends are the only reason you've gotten this far. And if they're not your friends anymore... then you can't do  _shit_. 

The light faded into her palm, and she swept one hand at Hatsune; her body faded out, for she was inducted in the Reaper's Game. Once she was gone, Gumi stepped towards a nearby bench, drawing out a note she had prepared for this purpose and setting it under the leg so the wind couldn't get at it.

_My name is Hatsune Miku.  
To DIVA, I bid farewell._

* * *

**4 Days before Hatsune Miku's first Reaper's Game**

"Kokone?"

Gumi was rather surprised to find the most veteran Reaper in DIVA sitting atop the concert venue in Silent Beat during the Player Hunt. "Oh, Composer," she greeted weakly.

"What are you doing up here?" Gumi asked. "You..." She blinked, surprised - for as Composer, she could determine each Reaper's score at a glance. "You haven't been hunting?"

"No," Kokone admitted. "I haven't. I wanted to ask you something."

With a sigh, Gumi nodded. "Alright. Ask."

"I want you to make me Game Master."

The request caught Gumi off-guard. "What?"

Kokone turned. "In the next Game. I want you to brand me as Game Master."

Her use of the word 'brand' told Gumi that this wasn't simple ambition. "You... Kokone, you realize that-"

"Yes," Kokone confirmed. "I know. If I don't achieve 100% erasure, then I get erased myself. And in DIVA, only one Reaper has ever achieved 100% erasure."

"Then... why?" Gumi didn't understand. "Why would you want that?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've been a Reaper?" Kokone asked. "How many of my friends have been Game Masters? How many of them have died to the task?" She shook her head. "I'm... tired. I want to do one last thing before I fade away. And I..."

She sighed. "I know about your bet."

Gumi stumbled. "Bet?"

"With the Producer."

"How...?" Gumi was surprised by that. "How could you-!?"

"It's actually kind of stupid," Kokone admitted. "I was trying to talk to Gakupo about what I'd  _thought_ was a Taboo Noise refinery sigil - and it wasn't," she added, seeing Gumi's reaction, "turns out it was just someone's stupid graffiti - and I... I found the Walk of Seraphim. I heard you speaking with Black Rock Shooter."

A slow breath from Gumi. "And you... want to do something about that?"

Kokone shook her head. "I can't change what's going to happen," she insisted. "But if you need to run enough Games that you need to have a Player Hunt like this... I'll gladly be the first one to take the mantle." She held out her hand. "I'd like you to give me a timer."

"A timer?" Gumi asked.

"Like the Players'. I used to see Cyber Songman working on something with a timer counting down on his hand. The Composer has the ability to issue timers to Reapers, the same way the Game Master issues timers to Players."

"I've... never tried that," Gumi admitted. "How long for?"

Kokone drew out her phone. "Nine days and twenty hours," she prompted. "It only counts down if the Game's on. That'll get me to Day 7 in the next Game."

Gumi nodded. "And your requirement?"

"All Players erased," Kokone replied.

Uncertain, Gumi set her fingers against Kokone's palm - and with a surge of red, the timer appeared there, counting down from  **09:19:59:59**. "Best of luck," the Composer encouraged.

She made her way down from the rooftop and started towards the Otherworld's Await. As she arrived at the Garden, however, a worrisome thought occurred to her, and she drew out her phone.

Seven hours left today. Three days left in the Game.

"...Kokone."

**Reflection  
Chapter Closed**


	50. The Final Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Final count: 50 chapters. For comparison, my 'Breath of Wilderness' series up to this point only has a combined total of 27 chapters.

"Composer?"

Haku had taken one of the more benevolent leaves out of Gumi's book, had made her identity as Composer known to the rest of the Reapers after having assigned Neru as her Conductor. Now, on the morning of Day 7 of what Neru had mockingly called the 'retribution Game', she was approached by the Game Master - Avex Lily, who had not been allowed to act as Game Master on her own during Miku's six weeks.

"Something wrong?" Haku asked.

"Well..." Lily drew the syllable out long as she unholstered her Reaper-issue revolver. "Gumi loaded an  _Instant Player Erasure_ bullet in here before the last day when I was GM before... and I can't open the chamber."

This actually surprised Haku. "Did she now?" Lily held out the weapon, and Haku accepted it carefully. It was indeed lingering with Composer power; a light tap on one side of the chamber undid the seal, allowing her to pop the chamber and draw out the bullet. "And here I was saying 'at least she stopped anyone from erasing her in one hit'."

Lily chuckled awkwardly. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Haku confirmed, loading the bullet in again and handing back. "You're cleared to use it today." Then, as Lily holstered the weapon again; "That being said, I need you to give it back afterwards, and if you try and use it on anyone else I'm going to have to rip your wings out."

"That's... understandable," Lily murmured.

* * *

To describe Gumi and Gakupo's experience in the Reaper's Game as 'trying' would be a significant understatement. A Game such as Miku had been made to endure - certain overlooked transgressions from Otomachi Una and Gacha Ryuto, consistent insults and occasional Noise from Revo Cul, and the occasional long run around walls set up by Support - had the Players battered by the time the final day's mission came in, and Gumi found it ominously familiar.

 _Mission: Defeat the Game Master at the place where she hungered for suffering._  
_You have 600 minutes._  
_Fail, and face erasure.  
~The Reapers_

There was one Reaper who had not been brought back from Miku's trial. Kokone had asked for erasure; Haku was not about to take that from her. As such, with Neo Galaco still running Galaxias, the two Players were largely unsurprised when they arrived at Pain Crave Bridge and found Avex Lily waiting for them, perched on her bike.

"Made it to Day 7," Lily observed. "Looks like Miku wasn't quite the miracle worker I thought she was."

Gumi shook her head. In contrast to Hatsune's six-pin deck, she and Gakupo were still as limited to single pins as they had been in their last Game - Gakupo's _Songblade_ pin let him slash at Noise with his bare hands, while Gumi's  _Hellish_  pin was lighting stationary flames wherever she instructed. Combined with Gakupo's entry fee apparently having been his  _sound judgement_ \- or else his hatred stopping him from acting on it - and the former Composer had found her hands full the past six days. "You're not giving her enough credit," Gumi admitted. "I have no idea how she managed to come out of all this with a smile."

"Well," Lily admitted, "there is one thing you gave her that you haven't seen yet."

"What?" Gumi stumbled back. "No..."

The biker drew her revolver, popping the chamber briefly to reveal the stark white bullet still inside before closing it again and levelling it on Gumi.

"Say hello to the Angels for me."

* * *

"You did  **what!?** "

Haku had called Miku, inviting her and her friends to the top of 39. The rest of Glory Music had received a briefing on what had happened during the last few Games; as such, none of them were particularly surprised to find Haku on the rooftop where the modulator decal had no purview. However, when Haku revealed what Gumi had been enduring the past seven days - and in particular, what Lily had been wielding this morning - Miku was absolutely  **horrified**.

The others were significantly less sympathetic. "Miku, she tried to have you erased in one shot," Rin reprimanded. "You're not seriously-"

"Even so," Miku insisted, "Lily never actually  _tried_ to use it."

"That doesn't change facts," Haku insisted. "Gumi gave her the ability. And if she hadn't figured out that Gumi was suppressing everyone's memories of you, she probably would have used it."

Len sighed. "So, what happens now?"

"When I realized exactly what Gumi had done, trying to have you erased," Haku admitted, "I realized just how  _lucky_ you were to have survived all of that." She aimed a finger at the six pins on Miku's top, which she had picked up from Matcha and Azuki's shop after the events with Gumi. "You got those pins because she tried to stop anyone from recognizing you. It was just the UG balancing itself out. Without that level of versatility, no Player would have survived the later weeks." She shook her head. "This wasn't a Game. This was a cleansing."

"Cleasning?" Luka was surprised at that. "You mean...?"

"Yes. Gumi's entry fee was her hatred and envy of Miku. Gakupo's was his respect for Gumi. With their erasure as Players, their entry fees are non-refundable. I'm going to bring them back, and make them the usual survivor's offer."

Miku closed her eyes. "If she chooses to become a Reaper again... could you give her a message from me?"

Haku was surprised at that. "What sort of message?"

"...Tell her we'd be happy to have her join us in Glory Music."

 

 

** The Reaping of Hatsune Miku **


End file.
